Many were surprised by the abrupt change in US President Donald Trump's position on Ukraine.
Trump, who months ago scolded Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House and declared his admiration for Vladimir Putin, now said that Ukraine could regain all the territories occupied by the Russian army.
With time, patience and financial support from NATO, it would be possible to restore the original borders at the time of the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine, the US president said. The big question now is: how realistic is that?
Experts tell the German newspaper Taggespiegel that the collapse of the Russian army in Ukraine is unlikely. There is only one way for it to happen – and that is to hit Russia economically, writes Focus.de.
John Luff, head of the foreign policy department at the Center for New Eurasian Strategies, told the British newspaper Independent that Ukraine could regain occupied territories. This was also seen in the counteroffensive in 2022. However, for Ukraine to prevail over Russia militarily, it needs “significantly more support from its allies“, including effective protection against night air strikes and more long-range weapons.
“Collapse of the Russian army? It does not seem realistic. Unless Russia can be crippled economically. Maybe that is exactly what Trump means“, the expert said.
Emil Kastehelmi, a military analyst at the Finnish Black Bird Group, is of a similar opinion. A collapse of the Russian military that would force it to undertake a large-scale withdrawal is "extremely unlikely," says Castelhelmi. That direction would only be possible if the Russian economy and society were "exhausted," and given the current situation, that doesn't seem likely.