Former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia David Rendall and former Political Advisor to the US Central Command Michael Gefiler stated that NATO weapons failed to make Ukraine’s counteroffensive successful.
The magazine quoted them saying, “Advanced NATO weapons such as HIMARS rockets and Leopard tanks failed to make Ukraine’s counteroffensive successful.”
They pointed out that economic sanctions against Russia did not change the situation nor the outcome of the conflict in favor of Ukraine. Instead, Russia managed to defeat the sanctions system through the effective use of gold, grain, oil, and friendly allies.
The officials emphasized that Kyiv is suffering from a shortage of men, money, ammunition, and time.
They added, “The West should stop funding a man with a leaky pocket.”
NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoana called last Friday to be prepared for the fact that the conflict in Ukraine could continue for a long time and might not end in 2025.
Ukraine had started its “counteroffensive” on June 4th, and after three months, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that not only had the “counteroffensive” stopped, but it had “failed.”
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Kyiv’s forces lost more than 125,000 soldiers during this offensive.
The Russia-Ukraine war, a significant and ongoing international conflict, began in February 2014. The conflict’s roots can be traced back to the aftermath of Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity, following which Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. This was a pivotal event that also saw Russia supporting pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas region, leading to armed conflict with the Ukrainian military. The first eight years of the conflict included naval incidents, cyberwarfare, and increased political tensions. A major escalation occurred in February 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, marking the largest war in Europe since World War II.
The conflict has had a profound humanitarian impact, with millions of people being displaced both within Ukraine and as refugees in Europe. As of mid-2023, there were over 7 million Ukrainian refugees in Europe and around 5.1 million internally displaced people within Ukraine. The war has also severely strained diplomatic relations between the two countries, with Ukraine severing all formal diplomatic ties with Russia following the large-scale invasion in February 2022.
