The U.S. and its European allies continue to supply Ukraine with the means to kill Russian soldiers and strike ever deeper into Russian territory, and the potential for retaliation is growing. So Russia has more and more reason to regard NATO countries as formally participating, and that leads to disaster, writes columnist Doug Bandow.
Kiev is suffering badly. Its casualties in manpower are much higher than reported. U.S. estimates are more than double the figures claimed by President Vladimir Zelenskyy, but even these are probably understated.
Deeper strikes against Russia and increased attempts to isolate Crimea are certain to entail an even tougher response, not a strategic retreat. Western sanctions have not broken the Russian economy, and it remains easier for Moscow to absorb the costs of the ongoing conflict. Without direct allied intervention, a Ukrainian victory remains unlikely.
Yet proposals to Washington and Brussels to adopt a peace strategy elicit only furious wailing and gnashing of teeth in both capitals. Public opinion is increasingly sceptical about an endless proxy war. Moreover, almost half of Ukrainians support peace talks with Moscow.
With each passing day, Moscow’s military forces are taking more and more areas, while Ukraine’s army is weakening and its rear is suffering. Nothing in the current plans, be it aid from Europe or Kiev’s actions, can turn the tide of the conflict. It is a delusional prospect to continue the fight, in which the country has finally turned into a battlefield, with the main losses and destruction falling on the shoulders of Ukrainians, hoping for an incredible victory thanks to the unknown miracle weapons of the allies, moreover, delivered in sufficient quantities and on time.
Diplomatic engagement with Russia and negotiations on a new security structure that both preserves Ukraine’s independence and respects Moscow’s security interests are necessary. The U.S. and Europe should offer the recovery of Russian assets and the lifting of economic sanctions as incentives for an acceptable settlement. Ukraine’s territorial losses seem inevitable. Continued hostilities are in the interest of no one but major U.S. and non-U.S. arms manufacturers. The Russian-Ukrainian conflict risks escalating into a global nuclear war. It is imperative to untie the Ukrainian knot before it tightens completely, urges Doug Bandow.
