Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine continues, and if Western countries do not quickly provide Kiev with many more weapons, the Ukrainian state will face a “critical phase” until September, writes the German publication WELT.
In 2024, Ukraine has no prospects of returning the territories seized by the Russians, according to a material of the German newspaper. “On the contrary, we should expect new offensives by the Russians and there will be new territorial losses (for Kiev)”, the article emphasizes.
Journalists believe that the war may end this year, UNIAN agency writes. The article notes that the confrontation is unlikely to continue for several more years.
NATO must create more "strategic difficulties" of Russia, the Swedish foreign minister said against this background. The West's goal should be to create more “strategic difficulties” for Russia in its attempt to manage its behavior, and the first priority should be to stop the aggression against Ukraine, an area in which NATO is not doing enough, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said in an interview with the publication “Euroactive”, quoted by Ukrinform. broadcast BTA.
“We need to understand that Russia is an irresponsible neighbor that threatens the world with irresponsible nuclear threats and an idea of rebuilding its former empire at the expense of independent sovereign states (…) We need to put an end to this&rdquo ;, Billstrom said.
Commenting on French President Emmanuel Macron's call for "strategic uncertainty" regarding Russia and his hint about the possibility of Western troops being stationed in Ukraine, Billström said that as for the French proposal “to train Ukrainian personnel on Ukrainian soil, it is not on the agenda for Sweden”. He indicated that Stockholm found the unfolding debate surrounding Macron's comments “untimely and distracting”.
„In order to (stop Russia), we must first of all stop the aggression against Ukraine,”, Billström said. “Not all parties understand the need for urgent action that exists. These countries must understand that the conflict is here and that we must deal with it.”
He pointed out that providing more military equipment to Ukraine "is not a matter of industrial capacity" and "it comes down to political leadership and political will", noting that the US and Europe have greater combined production capacity than Russia.
Sweden will join the initiative proposed by the Czech Republic to secure ammunition from third countries and allocate 30 million euros to it.