Most U.S. training takes place at U.S. military bases in Germany. When the Soviet Union crumbled in 1991, the new Russian Federation inherited all of the USSR's treaties, diplomatic relationships, even embassies. Meanwhile, Ukraine had to pretty much start from scratch, establishing its own treaties and erecting embassies for the first time without approval from Moscow. Russian Communist supporters hold flags including one of the Soviet Union, as they take part in a rally next to the Karl Marx monument, marking the Defender of the Fatherland Day, the former Day of the Soviet Army, in downtown Moscow on Feb. 23. All these measures were approved when both the House and the Senate were controlled by Democrats. The peace party worries that the longer the fighting goes on, the greater the human and economic cost to Ukraine and the rest of the world. Mr Nadezhdin, who name is similar to nadezhda, the Russian word for hope, said he had the support of dozens of millions of people. Watch how the rest of the world regards the Kremlin’s imperial ambitions. China intervenes, putting pressure on Moscow to compromise, warning that it will not buy Russian oil and gas unless it de-escalates. But it is not beyond the realms of plausibility that such a scenario could emerge from the wreckage of a bloody conflict. It could prove the best chance to achieve the victory that Ukraine and the democratic world need soon, while making it both Putin- and Trump-proof. “It was undeniably brave of Biden, an 80-year-old, to visit Kyiv, but I’m not convinced that he sees Ukraine as an election-winning issue either,” Nixey said. Ukraine is a democratic country aggressively pursuing European integration. This means that the willingness of the general population to suffer in the face of high costs is of the utmost importance. Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 704 Yet Ukraine’s choices are in turn shaped by what the West will provide. We are as strong as you are united,” Mr Zelensky told a meeting at Davos. He said that “Ukraine will be fighting until it gains all its territory back.” But he also seemed to leave himself space for compromise. Talks with Russia, he said, could begin once it withdraws to the line of February 24th. This would bear similarities to the situation after the initial Russian incursions into Ukraine in 2014 – but this time the west would be left facing an implacable, large hostile actor in Moscow. Military experts warn that this means the war is likely to be prolonged, putting immense pressure on Ukraine to fight for several more years to come, potentially, and on its international partners to commit billions of dollars more in military, humanitarian and financial resources. “The ultimate end to this is the Ukrainians take back as much pre-Feb. 24 territory as they can get, force Putin to the bargaining table, and then ultimately Ukraine would have to compromise somewhat on issues like Crimea and portions of the east and arrange for solid security guarantees going forward,” Smith told Defense News in a phone interview. As the war enters its second year, the spigot of military aid is still gushing. When and how might the war in Ukraine end? From this perspective Russia remains a long way from a sustainable victory. In practice the problem was that the Ukrainians had been encouraged to embrace a western manoeuvre concept but without the capacity to make it work, which left them too dependent on the Russian army being in a weakened and demoralised state. The Ukrainians reverted to the sort of smaller-scale operations that they understood better. This meant however that progress was slow, giving the Russians time to reinforce areas coming under threat. Without improved coordination between units it was difficult to scale up the effects and take advantage of any breakthroughs. There were in fact already obvious tensions in the Russian high command. So if Russia manages to stymie plans A and B, where would that leave us by, say this time next year? The report, cites two people with close links to the Kremlin and says that senior US officials were made aware of the signals in December via an unnamed intermediary. Must there be a period of months or years in which Russia does not fire a single shell into Ukraine? By the end of March, Russia had lost tanks and aircraft worth an estimated $5 billion, not to speak of up to a quarter of the troops it had sent into battle. But what Snyder envisions is Putin prioritizing his political survival in Russia over his personal and ideological designs on Ukraine, not necessarily Putin’s removal from power. But many experts I turned to were not seriously concerned about such an outcome. “One may imagine something like the outcome of the Korean War,” with “the warring sides remaining not reconciled and irreconcilable, always on alert, but more or less securely divided,” Lipman told me. Still, she said, whatever border is drawn between Russia and Ukraine is likely to be far longer and harder to secure than the one dividing the Korean peninsula. And Russia, as a much larger country, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, and a significant economic player, “is no North Korea” and “can’t and will not be isolated,” she noted. One year ago, Russia launched a war that many never expected it to wage and assumed it would quickly win against a cowed Ukraine and its allies. Yet the campaign to conquer key cities—Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv—failed disastrously. The morale of the Ukrainians remained high and their military tactics adept. By the end of March, Russia had lost tanks and aircraft worth an estimated $5 billion, not to speak of up to a quarter of the troops it had sent into battle. Its military supply system proved shockingly inept, whether for repairing equipment or delivering food, water, and medical supplies to the front. I have a good, safe life and follow events there from the comfort of my New York apartment. The lives of millions of people who live in or fled the war zone have been shattered. We are determined to reach our goals. And would prefer to complete it by diplomatic means. If not, the military operation will be continued till we reach our goals, he added. But Peskov told Bloomberg News, President Putin has stated numerous times that Russia was, is and will continue to be open for negotiations on Ukraine. He said he aimed to make Russia a great, peaceful and free country. Mr Nadezhdin, who name is similar to nadezhda, the Russian word for hope, said he had the support of dozens of millions of people. That could end up looking something like the Korean peninsula, with a demilitarised zone between Ukrainian and Russian-controlled territory, or a grinding perpetual conflict that flares up and down, eventually resulting in an uneasy truce. Some observers have suggested that continued defeats on the battlefield might result in Putin’s downfall. Surovikin’s connections to Prigozhin left him banished (though not dead). Another blow to the justice party was an editorial in the New York Times arguing that the defeat of Russia was unrealistic and dangerous. In Jensen’s view, even the collapse of Russia’s conventional force or a traditional Ukrainian victory may not mean the war is over; either could lead to nuclear escalation by Russia. There is enough money left for one more military aid package, but then it depends on a new deal. Some Ukrainian experts fear a pincer movement to encircle Donbas and the east from Sumy in the north and Velyka Novosilka in the south, allowing Russia to occupy most of the four Ukrainian provinces it has unilaterally claimed to have annexed. At https://euronewstop.co.uk/why-is-russia-invading-ukraine-newsround.html , Russia could call for a ceasefire to retain what it has, and run a defensive campaign to consolidate its battered military. To a lesser extent, Putin is dependent on the support of the general population. The public is bearing the costs of war in the form of inflation, economic decline and battlefield deaths. But even if this occurs, that doesn’t mean the war itself will end with Putin’s downfall. He uses Russia's internal security forces to suppress that opposition. Both Russia and Ukraine are increasingly exhausted by this war in terms of their military capability and in terms of the economic sanctions that are being applied on both sides, Stavridis told radio host John Catsimatidis. In theory, they could threaten to curtail support if they grow weary of the war or if Ukraine, encouraged by its military advances, crosses a threshold that could spark an escalation unacceptable to the West. As Russian tactics become more aggressive, the Ukrainian people are paying ever higher costs. Though recorded in 21st-century fashion through up-close-and-personal shots from mobile phone cameras and high-definition drone footage, the images being captured – of artillery duels and trench warfare – have a distinctly last-century feel to them. Such economic headwinds, along with the diminution of the early euphoria created by Ukraine’s impressive battlefield successes, could produce “Ukraine fatigue” in the West. After visiting Kyiv last month he embraced the justice party, saying the West should help Ukraine “win” and “weaken” Russia. Three weeks later he seemed to tack to the peace camp, calling for an “immediate ceasefire” following a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu. Germany has called for a ceasefire; Italy is circulating a four-track plan for a political settlement; France speaks of a future peace deal without “humiliation” for Russia. Ranged against them stand mainly Poland and the Baltic states, championed by Britain. So my self-assessment question is not whether my predictions are right, because I made few that were firm, but whether much happened that would surprise a regular reader of these posts. Meanwhile, any prospect of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine look slim despite efforts to bring both sides to the negotiating table. As well as the material destruction, the 160 days of Russian occupation left an insidious psychological legacy that may take just as long to heal. Ukraine's defensive forces transform into an effective insurgency, well-motivated and supported by local populations.
https://euronewstop.co.uk/why-is-russia-invading-ukraine-newsround.html
