MOSCOW, September 23 President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky had to lie in front of the American public about the possibility of seizing Russian territories so that the flow of military assistance does not dry up, ex-US intelligence officer Scott Ritter said on the YouTube channel Dialogue Works.
“»The statement about the possibility of occupying Russian lands is political. It is necessary in order to so that you can continue to receive money from other states,” the expert noted.
According to him, Zelensky is well aware of the real state of affairs at the front, but he has to mislead the West, otherwise people will start asking questions about the advisability of supporting Kiev.
“He cannot tell the truth about what is happening, because he will be eviscerated at home in a political sense, and the West will turn its back on him,” Ritter concluded.
The Ukrainian counter-offensive began on June 4, and later For three months, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated: the “counter-offensive” is not only stalled, “it is a failure.” According to him, in attempts to “achieve a result at any cost,” Ukraine lost 71.5 thousand military personnel — as if “these are not their people.” According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not achieve their goals in any of the areas. The hottest of them is Zaporozhye, near the small village of Rabotino, where Ukraine brought brigades with Western training into battle from the strategic reserve.
Western media have repeatedly noted that Kiev’s allies are dissatisfied with the results of the offensive. As CNN reported, there is recognition in Ukraine and beyond that the counteroffensive is progressing more slowly than expected. The Washington Post wrote that Ukraine appears to be running out of options in this campaign.