No short-term end in sight to Russia’s war in Ukraine, officials in the West say

UN: Nearly 2,000 civilians killed by Russian invasion 1:08 (CNN) — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told European allies that the United States believes Russia’s war in Ukraine could last until the end of the war. 2022, two European officials told CNN, and both US and European officials have assessed that there is no short-term end to the conflict. Many of the officials who spoke to CNN stressed that it is difficult to predict exactly how long the war might last, but several officials said there is no indication that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ultimate goals have changed, and it is unlikely. to continue diplomatic negotiations unless faced with military defeat. The idea that this could be a long-term conflict represents a marked change from the early days of the war, when Russia was expected to quickly take the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, and underscores Moscow’s failures on the battlefield. . The short term of the war in Ukraine The longer the war lasts, the more brutal the humanitarian cost will be for the population of Ukraine. And while the officials stressed that the international community is likely to remain committed to providing a high level of support to Ukraine, they acknowledged that there may be very real practical problems related to weaponry that will need to be resolved as the war continues. Military Expert Analyzes What Types of Weapons US Sends to Ukraine even more”. Some members of Congress and their advisers are quietly making the comparison to the three-year Korean War. Two other European officials said they believe the fighting in eastern Ukraine – where Russian forces are expected to launch a new offensive – could last four to six months and then lead to a stalemate. Blinken, said a senior State Department official, “has discussed with his counterparts our concern that the conflict could drag on, but all of his commitments have revolved around how best to end it as soon as possible.” Bolstering arms support for Ukraine British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said this week that the start of new Russian fighting in Donbas could be a few weeks away, telling reporters that “there is a window of opportunity and I think that’s why the nature of our support is so important, that we’re providing weapons, the equipment that the Ukrainians need to do the job that they have to do.” CNN tours one of the war fronts between Russia and Ukraine 2:53 Increasingly, there is recognition of the links between Ukraine’s success on the battlefield and any hope of a diplomatic resolution of the conflict, a notion that the Ukrainian foreign minister , Dmytro Kuleba, addressed bluntly at the meeting of NATO foreign ministers last week. “It is clear that the positions of the delegations in the talks will be defined based on the successes of the corresponding armies and the impact of the sanctions imposed on Russia,” he said. US officials view this week’s additional military support to Ukraine as a continuation, but say part of what has motivated the surge — and additional support — is the Ukrainians’ efforts on the battlefield. A second senior State Department official said, “We have done a lot and so we have faith and have always had faith in our Ukrainian partners. But as the fighting intensifies, so does our commitment to give them weapons and equipment.” they can use,” adding that the Ukrainians have used certain weapons systems “to great effect.” Blinken, in a statement Thursday on the new $800 million security aid package, said the US is “focused on putting Ukraine in the strongest negotiating position possible by continuing to provide security assistance to help Ukraine defend itself and increasing pressure on Putin by imposing severe costs on Russia.” Eastern Ukraine prepares to defend itself against Russian forces 2:05″We believe that [los rusos] they really have the motivation only when they understand that they are facing a strategic defeat,” Estonia’s ambassador to the United States, Kristjan Prikk, told CNN. “As long as it seems like they still have the same goals in mind that they had at the is basically destroying the Ukrainian state and having a complete surrender by the Ukrainians, it’s hard to see negotiations being really serious.” Prikk said there is discussion on how to better coordinate security assistance so that Ukraine has the weapons you need when you need them, noting that there are “practical challenges” in terms of weapon availability, such challenges were raised by other European officials who spoke to CNN, and State Department spokesman Ned Price , said Thursday that “there are practical challenges that come with this, the supplies of the supply chain, other elements of it.” we’re working,” he said at a State Department briefing. The Pentagon this week hosted the CEOs of the Army’s eight largest contractors to discuss faster weapons production. The cost of inaction against Russia Officials also acknowledge that public opinion may tire of continuing to support Ukraine, and will need to be reminded that inaction would be even more costly. Military Expert Analyzes What Kind of Weapons US Sends to Ukraine 5:19 “You can’t defend democracy for free. It just doesn’t work that way,” Cleverly said. “The most visible cost is in human lives. We have talked about the number of people who have been killed and injured during this conflict, but it also has an economic cost, which we will pay with the increase in gasoline prices and with general inflation to As the effects of this conflict spread across the world, and people won’t like that. And it’s quite understandable that people don’t like it, but they should also recognize that not acting would cost a lot, a lot, a lot. much older.” In addition, there is always the risk of divisions in NATO emerging the longer the war lasts, a European official said. However, they and others said the atrocities Russia is committing in Ukraine likely play a role in maintaining international resolve to make sure Russia cannot win. “I think the world has continued to be shocked by the level of atrocity, the level of violence, the level of brutality, that Russia’s troops have committed against the Ukrainian people. I think that will necessarily maintain this level of consensus within the international community. “Price said. “There is no sense that these countries are preparing to turn the page, to look the other way, and in fact, every time we meet, the horror is renewed, the condemnation is renewed, the determination is renewed to keep watching because our Ukrainian partners have what they need,” he said, adding: “At the political level, at the strategic level, there has been no indication that we have seen that focus, determination, perseverance is going to wane over time.”