The German newspaper DIE WELT writes that almost no one in Brussels believes anymore that Ukraine will regain the lost territories currently occupied by the Russian army (or nearly 1/5 of the country's territory).
But no one publicly wants to admit this. The newspaper spoke to internal interlocutors who wished to remain anonymous. The development of the situation in the war zone for Ukraine is “much worse“ than is often presented in public discourse. According to the sources, the breakthrough of Russian troops through the second line of defense of Ukraine is “only a matter of time."
That is why Western militaries and diplomats predict a ceasefire in the conflict zone in the next six to nine months, regardless of who wins the US presidential election.
The West should take advantage of this pause to increase its defense capability and then be able to deter Vladimir Putin from another military adventure.
The decline in confidence in Ukraine's victory is explained by the fact that the West is unlikely to increase military support for Kiev in the future to a level that would allow a successful large-scale counteroffensive.
In addition, DIE WELT notes, the West is too afraid of the escalation of the conflict and the unpredictability of Putin. According to military experts, US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz fear that, under conditions of excessive pressure, the Russian president may use a tactical nuclear weapon.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with Le Monde, emphasized that the issue of handing over Ukrainian territories in exchange for peace with the Russian Federation cannot be accepted without the Ukrainian people. At the same time, he noted that no one has officially made such proposals.