The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that’s usually the right way to bet. From the beginning Ukraine has been outmatched in its war with Russia, even with Western help. From Daniel L. Davis at responsiblestatecraft.org:
Diplomacy is more important than ever as Kyiv simply doesn’t have the human resources or physical infrastructure to achieve its goals.
Last March, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that as a result of significant Western support, the Ukrainian military’s spring offensive had “a very good chance for success.” Former Chief of the British General Staff, General Richard Dannatt, went so far as to suggest that Ukraine’s offensive would be so successful that Putin “may be swept out of the Kremlin” as a result.
Combat reality, however, has now swept away those optimistic claims and exposed the harsh truth: Ukraine is unlikely to militarily evict Russia out of its territory, no matter how many men they feed into battle.
As unpalatable as it is for all supporters of Ukraine, the most prudent course for Zelensky may now be to seek a negotiated settlement that preserves as much freedom and territory as possible for Kyiv. Ending the war now would end the deaths and injuries for tens of thousands of Ukraine’s brave and heroic fighters — men and women whom Kyiv will need to rebuild their country once the war ends.
The same month that Austin was claiming Ukraine had “a very good chance” to defeat Russia in Kyiv’s spring offensive, I wrote that embracing the concept “that Russia is going to lose the war could leave the West to be caught off guard if the Ukrainian offensive fails to materially degrade Russian positions.” One month before the start of the offensive, I explained the very practical reasons why the Ukrainian attack would almost certainly fail to achieve even modest gains.
Will there be anyone left to work the Wunderwaffen?
This isn’t the first time that panzers burned on the steppes as Bradley/Leopard square keeps growing.
How many F-16’s did the Taliban have?
In WAR there are those who have the watches and those who have the time.
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