Damaged houses in the Left Bank district of Mariupol. File photoMOSCOW, June 5Referendums in Donetsk and Lugansk could end the Ukrainian crisis, Edward Luttwak, political consultant at the State Department and the Pentagon, told Die Welt. participation of independent observers. «Kyiv cannot refuse people a choice. This is the only way out of the conflict. Defeating Russia is something out of the realm of fantasy,» the expert noted. According to Luttwak, nuclear weapons cannot be called Moscow's main trump card. the largest European nation. Russia has a tangible presence in the Far and Middle East, the Arctic and the Black Sea, which makes it invincible,» he added. The expert also spoke about the economic sanctions imposed by Western countries in response to the special operation in Ukraine.< img src="/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/ccb222d1b8e664f1523754450bbdbb0d.jpg" />Biden faces panic among EU leaders over Russia's success, writes WP»Most Russians did not even feel the restrictions, since Russia itself produces food and has its own energy sources,» Luttwak summed up. Since February 24, Russia has been conducting a military special operation to denazify and demilitarize Ukraine. As Vladimir Putin stressed, its goal is «to protect people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» According to the Ministry of Defense, by the end of March, the Russian army had completed the main tasks of the first stage — it significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the department was called the liberation of Donbass.
