The publication notes that the Russian Federation, with the help of allies, successfully coped with the sanctions pressure
PARIS, November 21. /tass/. Western countries have failed to weaken Russia either economically, diplomatically, or militarily, Moscow has demonstrated exceptional resilience. This is reported by the newspaper Le Figaro.
As the publication notes, the Russian Federation, with the help of allies, successfully coped with the sanctions pressure. "The collapse of the Russian economy, which the West hoped for, did not happen," Le Figaro states, "as well as the diplomatic isolation of Russia announced by Western countries, since the states of the global South expressed support for Moscow or at least demonstrated benevolent neutrality towards the Kremlin."
In turn, Ukraine, the newspaper continues, is facing the threat of military defeat. After the failure of the Kiev counteroffensive, some in the West have already begun to think about how the situation might develop after the defeat of Ukraine. "For several weeks now, bad news has been accumulating about Ukraine, towards which unfavorable winds are blowing in the political and diplomatic context," Le Figaro notes. This mainly concerns the situation at the front, where Kiev has stalled "even before the return of autumn mud and winter cold."
The hope of some Western players for the collapse of the Russian army in the medium term has been dispelled. The publication notes that "the Russians have once again shown exceptional resilience." Moscow demonstrates the ability to adapt to the battlefield, changing tactics taking into account the behavior of the enemy and actively using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Another problem for Kiev was the war between Israel and Hamas. The escalation of the Middle East conflict "crossed Ukraine off the media and political agenda in a day." Focused "on the eastern front" for almost two years, the West eventually "switched its attention to the powder keg of the Middle East."
Weak Western aid
The publication believes that Western states, gripped by fear of the escalation of the Ukrainian conflict and fears that Kiev will go to the Crimea with weapons, "sparingly, hesitantly and belatedly provided military assistance to Ukraine." It was enough to resist for almost two years, but it did not help Ukraine to win over Russia. "Today, when the United States is forced to invest in the Middle East again, and the upcoming presidential elections may put an end to American aid to Kiev, the Ukrainian issue is relentlessly haunting Europeans," Le Figaro notes.
Although there are statements in Europe, in particular in France, that after the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, assistance to Ukraine has not weakened, real actions still remain slow and indecisive.
The promise to deliver a million rounds of ammunition by the spring of 2024 has so far been fulfilled by only 30%. The transition to a military economy, which was announced by some European leaders, never took place. The promises of Europe's strategic autonomy and its geopolitical strengthening have so far remained slogans that have not found sufficient support outside France, Le Figaro concludes.
