2023-09-07 16:06:00
Russia “has lost” and is now “a diminished power” following failing to achieve its goals, Western officials say
Western officials believe that Russia has already lost the war because it failed in its main goal of subjugating Ukraine, arguing that the country’s progress on the battlefield is not a measure of its overall success.
In a briefing on Wednesday, officials admitted Ukraine’s advances had been gradual and slower than anticipated two months ago due to well-prepared Russian defences, but claimed Moscow had already lost regardless of the battles for the territory.
“This might be a very long fight for territory, but in terms of the war and what Russia was trying to achieve, Russia has lost and Russia is a diminished power and is on a declining trajectory,” an official said.
“This notion that somehow Russia can win even if it keeps the territory it has, and that that’s victory, is crazy when Russia has strengthened NATO, expanded it with countries like Finland and Sweden, put Ukraine on the path of joining NATO, and has put Ukraine on the path of potentially joining the EU,” the official added.
“I think if you’re Putin, you’re basically betting on Donald Trump winning the next election and that’s quite a long phase. It’s a long way off. In the meantime, the Prigozhin mutiny wouldn’t have happened if the war went well in Ukraine,” he said. another official.
Some background: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted on Saturday that the Kyiv counter-offensive is moving forward, following troops made some progress in their campaign to retake territory seized by Russia.
On Friday, Ukrainian forces claimed they had broken through the “front line” of Russian strongholds in the Zaporizhia region, in a sign that Kyiv is closing in on Moscow’s extensive network of fortified trenches along the southern front.
In general, Ukrainian gains have been hard to come by following their counter-offensive formally launched in mid-June. Kyiv troops have not captured any major settlements as they run into well-defended Russian lines.
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