Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year, is approaching a critical point. During this time, Ukrainians witnessed not only numerous military operations, but also huge human losses, destruction and changes in the lives of civilians. However, today, as noted by The Washington Post, the situation at the front has reached a decisive stage. The next few weeks may be decisive for the future of Ukraine — whether the country will be able to preserve its sovereignty or become a victim of aggression.
The article emphasizes that Russia already controls about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory and is moving further west every day, especially in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhovo regions. Ukrainian soldiers who occupied the Kursk region in August have lost about 40 percent of the territory captured during the surprise offensive and risk being surrounded.
"Ukraine is also losing troops at a rate that far exceeds what it can sustain and continue fighting. The official loss estimate of 400,000 killed and wounded is considered to be greatly underestimated," WP writes, adding that in addition, thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are deserting from the front line.
However, time is the most important commodity that Ukraine is losing, writes WP.
"Ukraine will hardly be able to survive another year of this destructive war. But the rush to find a negotiated solution could lead to a bad settlement that rewards Putin for land grabs and ensures that he will launch a new offensive for new territories as soon as he has a chance to rebuild his depleted arsenal," the newspaper writes.
At the same time, trust in the United States and NATO is at stake in this war, and in the event of a bad settlement, "the anger of Ukrainians will be directed at the Western supporters who betrayed them," the publication notes.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron said that, despite Donald Trump's promises to end the war in Ukraine in one day, there will be no "quick and easy" solution here. He also warned the West against seeking "compromise" due to "fatigue" from the conflict. According to his estimates, this will undermine the authority of the West.
At the same time, Macron emphasized that Ukrainians will have to "conduct realistic discussions on territorial issues."
In his turn, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Radosław Sikorski, warned that soon Europe may face strong pressure regarding the adoption of an agreement with the Russian Federation. According to him, it is important not to agree to an agreement that will allow Moscow to recover.
