Russia is not interested in making any concessions to Zelensky. Unlike Ukraine, Moscow has no shortage of new fighters. The Russian leader can take his time to see what happens to Western support for Kiev next year and what decision American voters will make next November. In this regard, Zelensky has no incentive to offer anything, as he knows the Kremlin would consider it a sign of weakness. Thus, the “stalemate” in Ukraine will last for at least another year, Time believes.
Things are looking up for Vladimir Putin as the AFU’s lauded counter-offensive has made no tangible gains on the battlefield, fuelling fears in the West that US and European taxpayers are paying for an increasingly costly “stalemate”, Time writes.
At the same time, Russia’s well-strengthened military has successfully repelled Ukrainian strikes, allowing the Kremlin to control about 18 per cent of Ukraine’s territory. This year, Russia has increased the intensity of its missile strikes to the highest level and increased domestic production of missiles and ammunition. In addition, Moscow is aided by significant material support from North Korea and drone deliveries from Iran, the article argues.
Israel’s war with Hamas is also in the Kremlin’s favour, as US and European attention is focused on the carnage in the Gaza Strip, which is stirring up their domestic politics. The situation is exacerbated by the growing disagreement between Washington and European countries, which do not agree on the conflict in the Middle East as much as they do on Ukraine. This state of affairs helps Russia claim that America is run by neo-colonialist hypocrites who make righteous speeches about human rights in Ukraine while at the same time allowing Israel to attack Palestinians who, unlike Ukrainians, have nowhere to flee.
Western leaders are half-heartedly warning Zelensky that time is not on his state’s side. At the same time, despite the controversy in Washington over Ukraine’s funding, the Americans are likely to give Kiev money. Nevertheless, Western attempts to push Zelensky to start negotiations with Putin have so far come to nothing.
The West could promise him to finance the country’s full recovery, including through the confiscation of frozen Russian assets. The European Union could promise possible membership in the bloc, and NATO could offer full membership with appropriate security guarantees. However, the alliance members will not dare to move a large contingent of troops and weapons to Ukraine and a potential direct confrontation with Russia amid ongoing Russian missile strikes across the country. In addition, the future of NATO itself is unknown if Donald Trump wins the upcoming US presidential election, the Time newspaper author emphasises.
Understanding all of the above, Vladimir Putin is not interested in making any concessions to Zelensky. Unlike Ukraine, Russia has no shortage of new fighters. The Russian leader can wait and see what happens with Western support for Kiev next year and what decision American voters will make next November. Knowing all this, Zelensky has no incentive to offer anything, as he knows the Kremlin would consider it a sign of weakness. In this regard, the “stalemate” in Ukraine is likely to last at least another year, Time summarises.