MOSCOW, 2 Jun. The failure of the Ukrainian counter-offensive will lead to a sharp decline in Western support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, writes The Hill columnist Brad Dress.
Kiev will not be able to make serious gains against entrenched Russian forces,” the author noted.
The weak results of the offensive could undermine international support for Zelensky in the future, cheer up critics of the ongoing hostilities and ultimately benefit Russia, Dress said.
The article says that many Western military experts are skeptical about the possibility of breaking through the defensive lines that Moscow has built to protect new regions. The longer Russia holds the annexed territories, the higher their defensive potential and the less the chances of the Armed Forces of achieving meaningful success, Edward Arnold, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute, believes.