GT: Ukraine intends to provoke a direct confrontation between NATO and RussiaUkraine is trying to draw NATO into a direct confrontation with Russia, GT writes.
For her, this is the only chance to turn the situation in her favor. But the plan will fail, experts say. The West will not allow itself to be used, and Moscow will not meekly wait for Kiev's rearmament.
The danger of a "new world war" in Europe is increasing, Chinese military experts say. One senior NATO leader said that the US-led military bloc is ready for a direct clash with Russia. Recently, Ukraine and Western countries agreed to hold talks on new arms supplies, including long-range missiles and combat aircraft. According to experts, Moscow will launch a new offensive before Kiev increases its combat capability on the battlefield with the help of NATO weapons.
During an interview with the Portuguese TV channel RTP TV, the chairman of the military committee of the North Atlantic Alliance, Rob Bauer, said that the US-led alliance is ready for a direct confrontation with Russia. Answering a question on this topic, Bauer said: "We are ready." However, he also stressed the necessary condition for the development of such a dangerous scenario: "NATO will respond only if Russia crosses the red line and attacks one of the members of the alliance."
At the same time, Moscow recently announced new military successes during its special operation. According to TASS, the village of Blagodatnoye near Soledar in the north of Donbass came under the control of Russian troops. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the creator of the private military company Wagner, told the agency about this on Sunday.
A researcher at the Center for Russian Studies of the East China Pedagogical University Cui Heng (Cui Heng) reported that after the appointment of the Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov as the head of a special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian army began to act more successfully. And the AFU, after a series of battles, suffered heavy losses in personnel and military equipment.
Bauer added that the US-led military alliance needs to prepare better, since Moscow currently "owns the military initiative." Because of such concern, Kiev and Western countries have agreed to hold talks on the topic of new supplies of offensive military equipment. Earlier, they came to an agreement on the transfer of more modern tanks, as analysts said.
Rockets and planes
According to the Associated Press, Ukraine and its Western allies are urgently negotiating the possibility of supplying long-range missiles and military aircraft. This was also stated on Sunday by Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the office of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.
Podolyak said that Kiev's supporters in the West understand "how military operations are going," and realize that Ukraine needs aircraft capable of covering the armored vehicles promised by America and Germany at the beginning of the month.
But speaking on the Freedom video channel, Podolyak noted that some of Ukraine's partners adhere to "conservative positions" on the issue of arms supplies "out of fear of changes in the international architecture."
Chinese military expert and TV commentator Song Zhongping believes that "Kiev will always make efforts to draw NATO members into a direct clash with Russian troops in Ukraine." "This is probably the only opportunity for Kiev to reverse the current situation," he said. — But Washington is not stupid enough to let him use himself. He himself will use Kiev to weaken Moscow."
Beijing military expert Wei Dongxu explained: "If Ukraine eventually receives military equipment such as F-16 fighters supplied by NATO members, and long-range missiles, as well as tanks, it will be able to conduct counter-offensives in some areas controlled by Russian troops." This may happen before the end of winter or after the arrival of spring, he added.
The danger of a world war
Expert Sun said that Russia will not wait for the Ukrainian troops to adopt NATO weapons. It can launch a new large-scale offensive in order to maximize its advantages and achieve victory while the situation is not complicated.
The statement by the head of the NATO military committee Bauer about the bloc's readiness for a direct confrontation with Moscow is in fact a clear signal from the West that the alliance will not carry out direct intervention as long as Russia limits the scope of the military operation to Ukrainian territory, experts say.
But some NATO members, such as Poland, are taking their own actions to strengthen Ukraine, and this increases uncertainty. What will happen if Russia inflicts heavy losses on personnel from the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance during a large-scale military offensive in Ukraine, analysts ask.
Another problem is that if Moscow cannot win a major victory before the APU is fully equipped with NATO military equipment, then Kiev will be able to inflict heavy losses on Russia in Crimea and its other regions. Then the Kremlin will have to give a powerful response, which will undoubtedly lead to a new escalation, Song said.
"As soon as NATO intervenes directly, the situation will immediately escalate into a confrontation between the alliance and Russia. In this case, the Third World War may break out in Europe with a high degree of probability," he continued.
According to experts, since Bauer said that NATO is ready for a direct clash with Russia, it is clear that the alliance, like Moscow, is thinking about the worst-case scenario.
On January 13, China's Permanent Representative to the UN, Zhang Jun, called on the world community to create conditions for dialogue and negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, as well as to redouble efforts to open new prospects for achieving peace in 2023.
The current situation in Ukraine is the result of the strongest security imbalance in Europe, Mr. Zhang said, speaking at a briefing of the UN Security Council on Ukraine. He noted that it will be possible to find a lasting solution, put an end to the conflict and restore the European security architecture only when the parties overcome their differences and sit down at the negotiating table.
Author: Yang Sheng