MOSCOW, December 13. Western officials are confident that peace talks are the only way to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, writes the New York Times.
«»Many officials in the United States and Europe, including strong supporters of Ukraine, believe that a settlement through negotiations is the only likely outcome in the end,” the article says.
According to the publication’s journalists, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to Washington underscores his fears that support from the United States will gradually dry up.
Kiev politicians still dream of seizing territories from Russia in 2024, but the American leadership considers the most realistic strategy to be for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to go on the defensive. This is necessary so that Zelensky can gain time and be able to assemble a new army for the next offensive, the publication summarizes.
Ukrainian troops tried for five months to attack in the Yuzhnodonetsk, Artemovsk and Zaporozhye directions, throwing into battle brigades trained by NATO and armed with foreign equipment. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on October 5 at a meeting of the Valdai international discussion club that since June 4, the enemy has lost over 90 thousand people, 557 tanks and almost 1,900 armored vehicles. He also emphasized that the Ukrainian counter-offensive actually failed.
Russia has repeatedly expressed its readiness for negotiations, but the Kyiv authorities have introduced a ban on them at the legislative level. The Kremlin also noted that now there are no prerequisites for the situation to transition to a peaceful direction, while achieving the goals of the special operation remains an absolute priority for Moscow.