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| Manu Brabo for The Wall Street Journal |
The war in Ukraine, it’s clear by now, won’t end soon. The bet in Moscow—and the fear in Kyiv—is that the West will lose stamina before Russia suffers a decisive defeat.
So far, Russia’s expectations of discord among Ukraine’s backers haven’t materialized. Europe has severed its dependence on Russian energy with limited pain and no political cataclysms. As all major Western economies grew in 2022 despite the disruptions, the consensus behind supplying weapons to Kyiv has only solidified.
Yet, with Russia announcing a mobilization of hundreds of thousands of soldiers in September and switching its economy to a war footing, time could be on Moscow’s side. So far, neither the U.S. nor Europe has made the adjustments, especially in military production, that are necessary for sustaining Ukraine in a war that could potentially drag on for several years. Neither are they immune to pain from further energy shocks.
“The idea that a major classic conventional war in Europe could last as long as one of the two world wars is not something we are yet ready for,” says Bruno Tertrais, deputy director of the Foundation for Strategic Research, a Paris think tank. “Even though the resilience of European societies has been remarkable, it cannot be taken for granted.”
The same goes for the U.S. While the lame-duck Congress in December authorized $44.9 billion in funding to support the war in Ukraine, probably enough for the next nine months, new Republican control of the House means that further military and civilian aid packages for Kyiv may be more complicated to fund.
If time works to Moscow’s advantage, it’s in the West’s interest to dramatically increase support for Ukraine in coming months, abandoning the excessive caution that characterized weapons deliveries until now, says retired Air Marshal Edward Stringer, former head of operations at the British Defense Staff. --->READ MORE HERE
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| REUTERS/File Photo |
Ukrainian forces are fighting to retain control of Soledar in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, the regional governor said on Saturday, contradicting Russian claims that Moscow's forces had captured the small town.
Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said the situation in the town was "difficult" and that Russian troops were advancing from various directions, adding that the Russians had sustained a large number of casualties, including members of the Wagner mercenary group.
"Soledar remains under control of our military, though there is street fighting and also fighting outside of the city because the enemy is trying to advance in several directions. The enemy is incurring huge losses," Kyrylenko said in a video posted on the Telegram app.
Reuters could not verify the battlefield accounts.
For days Soledar, a small salt-mining town, has been the focus of a Russian assault.
Kyrylenko's comments came after Russia said repeatedly that its forces had taken control of the town. Ukraine has repeatedly denied the takeover. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:
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