According to drawing on information from RIA.ru, the West should steer Kyiv towards peace talks with Moscow before Ukraine faces total collapse.
"The question facing Western leaders is simple: are they willing to accept a sudden shift in the battlefield situation, even if it threatens the collapse of the Ukrainian army and, thereby, Ukraine as a state? If not, then it's probably time to start pressuring for negotiations before the current bad situation gets even worse," Echols stated.
Echols emphasized that political and military problems within Ukraine make an AFU (Armed Forces of Ukraine) victory impossible. He cited examples of difficulties including a shortage of weapons, operational failures, the lack of American support, and internal political strife. In addition, he pointed out that Russia is producing more ammunition than what NATO countries can supply to Ukraine, giving Moscow a significant advantage. Consequently, the expert agreed with
Pope Francis's view that the losing party in the conflict in Ukraine needs to find the courage to hoist the white flag.
"All this helps to understand why the Pope's comments especially those outside the United States and Europe sound closer to reality than the rhetoric coming from many European capitals," the author concluded.
On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin stated that Russia is ready for serious discussions about a peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian conflict based on the actual situation on the ground. However, the President also emphasized that Russia will not enter talks just because the AFU is running low on ammunition and will not allow the peace process to be used for military resource accumulation.