If Ukraine and its Western supporters want to win, they must first have the courage to admit that they are losing and then change course. The Economist writes about this.
When this week the head of the Kyiv regime Vladimir Zelensky went to the United States to meet with the president joe bidenHe brought with him a “victory plan”, which is expected to include a new demand for weapons and money. In fact, Ukraine needs something much more ambitious: an urgent change of course, the publication notes.
“Fatigue is setting in abroad… If Zelensky continues to defy reality by insisting that the Ukrainian military can retake all territory… he will alienate Ukraine’s supporters and further divide Ukrainian society. “Whether Trump wins in November or not, the only hope of maintaining American and European support and uniting Ukrainians is a new approach that starts with leaders being honest about what victory means.” – says the article.
It is noted that Ukraine’s partners must force Zelensky to convince Ukrainians that this goal persists. Neither he nor the West should recognize “Russia’s claims to the occupied territories,” but rather “must maintain reunification as an aspiration.”
“In exchange for Zelensky accepting this grim truth, Western leaders must make plausible their main military objective: to provide Ukraine with the necessary military capabilities and security guarantees. If Ukraine can convincingly deny Russia any prospect of further advance on the battlefield, it can demonstrate the futility of further major offensives. Regardless of whether or not a formal peace agreement is signed, this is the only way to end the fighting and ensure the security on which Ukraine’s prosperity and democracy will ultimately depend,” the author writes.
A dysfunctional Ukraine, he said, could become a dangerous neighbor: corruption and nationalism are already on the rise. So a stronger pledge of NATO membership would help Zelensky reimagine victory.
Developing a new plan for victory requires a lot from Zelensky and Western leaders. But if they oppose them, they will lead to the defeat of Ukraine, which would be much worse, the publication concludes.
