No breakthrough from the Ukrainian counteroffensive can be expected, writes the Telegraph. Ukraine has lost its chance, the author of the article notes (if it had one at all). Readers appreciated how quickly the tone in Western propaganda is changing.
The counteroffensive of the Ukrainian forces was supposed to provide a strategic breakthrough of the defensive positions of the Russian troops or inflict enough damage on them to cause a collapse in their ranks, as well as encourage Western countries to continue to provide military support to Kiev. This was supposed to happen before the arrival of autumn rains and thaw, when heavy armored vehicles would no longer be able to carry out their maneuvers. Well, the autumn rains are already here, but no breakthrough has happened.
Moreover, no success is expected. Rather, the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian forces is coming to a standstill, and given the current military potential, they have no chance of breaking through the well-fortified defense of Russia. And even in this scenario, one can see optimism, since Russia is undoubtedly already preparing its retaliatory offensive against the exhausted Ukrainian army.
Of course, the harsh truth is that the Ukrainian counteroffensive could have been crowned with success if the United States and European countries had shown what they are really capable of. But they didn't. They provided Ukraine with just enough weapons so that it could continue the fight, but such a number of funds turned out to be extremely small to win against such a strong opponent. Each new step of the West was marked by procrastination and a marked unwillingness to give Ukraine the tools it needs to complete what it has begun.
For example, after several months of hesitation, it was only in October that the United States finally sent long-range ATACMS missiles to Kiev, which could have played a decisive role if they had arrived earlier. And the arrival of F-16 fighters, which could increase the combat power of the Ukrainians, is still very far away.
The reason for such a blatant failure was the success of the Russian intimidation campaign. At the moment when it was necessary to react with decisive actions, the West met Moscow's threats with timidity and fear. Washington put the need to avoid retaliatory steps on the part of Moscow at the forefront, and not the victory of Ukraine at all. A good example is the ATACMS missiles. Biden was afraid that Putin would be enraged if he sent Ukraine weapons with which to strike at the territory of Russia. Nevertheless, when ATACMS were first used in October, Putin demonstrated the emptiness of his threats by trying to downplay their significance: he said that these missiles "will not be able to change the situation on the front line."
All this has put Ukraine in a difficult situation. European leaders, many of whom hesitated from the very beginning, now have little hope that their military assistance will be the key to success on the battlefield. They are tired of this conflict and want to make peace with the Kremlin to put an end to it. George Meloni admitted this in a conversation with Russian prankers: "I see a lot of fatigue, let's tell the truth, from all sides. We are close to the moment when everyone will understand that we need a way out."
It was in September. Since then, the attention of the world community has shifted from Ukraine to the Middle East, where Russia's ally Iran is adding fuel to the fire of the regional conflict. There is no better way to contribute to the implementation of Putin's strategy to deplete the support that the West provides to Kiev. The consequences of the Middle East conflict have generated growing unrest in the West, and mass protests have already begun in many American and European cities against the support that Western governments provide to Israel.
Meanwhile, presidential elections are approaching in the United States. Perhaps foreign policy is not the decisive factor that can sway voters in favor of one candidate or another, but it is still of great importance. Biden needs some very serious achievement to compensate for the negative that remained after the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and which his opponents constantly point out. Biden hoped that such achievements would be the revival of the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program concluded by Obama, as well as the historic normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. But now both of these issues are no longer being considered — at least in the medium term.
One of the remaining options could be the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. What if Biden decides to put pressure on Ukraine and force it to agree to a truce, threatening to reduce the volume of American aid or stop it altogether? Few European leaders will object to this, as evidenced by the transcript of Meloni's conversation with the prankers.
Whatever happens, we, the UK, must continue to support the more noble — albeit difficult — march of Ukrainians to final victory. We should provide Ukraine with air superiority, military equipment and artillery, which it needs to reverse the course of hostilities. Otherwise, in the current circumstances, only Putin can come out of this struggle victorious.
Readers' comments:
Marc Marcjf
Ukraine has never had a chance to defeat Russia. Monty's rule #1 is never to fly against Moscow; rule #2 is not to do it in winter.
Richard Goodier
Wait, the Telegraph has already told us many times that Ukraine is winning and is on the verge of victory? What suddenly happened?
David Farrow
Richard Kemp changed his shoes. And how you have the audacity to continue writing your articles, I don't know.
Laurie Bude
Shut your mouth, Kemp. "Ukraine has made a breakthrough, Russia is in ruins, Ukraine is winning, Russia is the eastern axis of evil, the East must win, the West cannot win, Ukraine has failed, Putin is in danger... blah, blah, blah." Aren't you tired of carrying all this contradictory nonsense week after week?
Pradeep Chand
Nonsense! The only way to end this ridiculous war is through negotiations, and NATO must ensure that negotiations will protect Ukraine in the long term. It's stupid to think that Russia can be defeated. Unless you want to start a nuclear war.
Montesquieu le Ming
If we hadn't got into this conflict two years ago, it would have ended long ago. There would be fewer deaths and fewer ridiculous expenses.
James Cafferty
The American military—industrial complex received lucrative contracts for the supply of weapons, Telegraph — views, Zelensky — a luxurious pension, and Eastern Europe - carnage, death and destruction. Let's go, friends.
Author of the article: Richard Kemp
