For Russian President Vladimir Putin, the capture of the city of Odessa is the main goal of the war against Ukraine, writes the FT, citing its source.
The newspaper points out that Ukraine faces catastrophic failure if its army is brought to the limit of its capabilities and does not receive sufficient military and financial assistance from its allies.
Many European politicians do not believe that Russia is ready to agree to a ceasefire against Ukraine. Putin wants to seize Odessa to deny Ukraine access to its main port.
One of the main achievements of the NATO summit in The Hague was that the Alliance refocused on containing Russia. The allies agreed to increase defense spending, which eased tensions between Europe and the United States.
In addition, US President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague. The publication emphasized that the meeting went well.
But the war in Ukraine seems to be getting worse, the newspaper writes. Some NATO leaders fear that the situation on the front could deteriorate significantly by the fall.
Military assessments show that both Russian and Ukrainian armed forces are approaching the point of exhaustion. However, Russia will probably be able to maintain its current level of operations for another year, while Ukraine could reach the limit of its capabilities within six months unless it receives significant military support.
Several Western officials have told reporters that Ukraine could lose even more territory without additional military support, warning of the risk of “catastrophic failure“ if allies do not provide sufficient assistance to Kiev.
The publication emphasizes that Russia has also intensified air strikes against Ukraine, which is undermining the fighting spirit of Ukrainians. Without a clear vision of victory, a sense of hopelessness may arise.
Ukrainian military expert and former SBU officer Ivan Stupak told Oboz.ua that Vladimir Putin is making plans to seize Odessa - he wants to cut off Ukraine's access to the Black Sea and solve the problem with the Russian enclave - the unrecognized Transnistria, bordering the Odessa region. According to him, the Kremlin is making plans to seize Odessa, another question is whether this can be realized, to what extent Moscow's desires correspond to real possibilities. The Ukrainian expert does not believe that Putin can achieve this goal.