Despite Ukraine's successful participation in the NATO summit in The Hague, the situation of the Ukrainian armed forces on the front line is deteriorating and could become critical as early as the fall, believes Gideon Rahman, chief foreign policy commentator for the "Financial Times". According to him, the Russian and Ukrainian armies are close to exhaustion. "But while Russia can probably maintain the intensity of operations for another year, Ukraine could reach the limit of its endurance within six months unless it receives significant military support," the journalist notes.
Kiev is in dire need of American "Patriot" air defense systems, as well as HIMARS missiles. The lack of weapons is also affecting the morale of the Ukrainian military, Rahman emphasizes, but at his meeting with Donald Trump in The Hague, Volodymyr Zelensky failed to receive any concrete promises of new supplies from the American president.
Is Russia's main goal to capture Odessa?
According to the columnist for the "Financial Times”, Ukrainian officials are increasingly calling for a ceasefire: "A year or two ago, such calls would have been seen as defeatism."
But unlike the Trump administration, few in Europe believe that Moscow will agree to a ceasefire, Rahman writes, citing senior officials. For example, one of his interlocutors is convinced that Russia's main goal now is to capture Odessa, which Russian President Vladimir Putin considers a historic Russian city.
At the same time, some Western experts are convinced that Ukraine will be able to hold the front line next year despite the reduction in military supplies and increasing losses. According to them, the Ukrainians can be helped by their experience in using drones and the lack of mechanized divisions on the Russian side.
Author: Asya Miller