As always an interesting article from you, thanks. In regard of Kursk I cannot agree with you. I regard it as the biggest achievment in 2024 by UAF. And I cannot agree with your assessment of the leadership. No army in the world could have been more successfull and shown more resilience under such dire conditions. No army can keep the initiative, without enough weapons and lack of ammo and properly outfitted troops. Bidens administration and the lack of European military support share the responsability since 2022 for hindering UA, enforcing her to fight under irresponsible restrictions and lack of enough support. Its a shameful display of incapable Western politicians. The US and European strategies - I doubt if it deserves the name "strategy" - are a total failure.
Hopefully, this war won’t go down in history as ‘the war the West tried not to lose’ that ushered in a new wave of authoritarian dominance over Europe and, with the help of Russia’s allies, the wider world 😕
1000 days and look where we are. I wonder if this would have been possible without Zelensky?There are more than a few politicians in the US & EU who would benefit from some of the resilience shown by Zelensky.
On one hand there was an expectation that Russia would complete its invasion of Ukraine in a matter of weeks or days, depending upon who you listened to. On the other hand after the initial success of Ukraine in turning back the Russian invasion and the taking back of territory in Kharkiv and Kherson Oblasts, there was some expectation that Ukraine could expel Russia from all the occupied territories. It may have been possible if Ukraine was given the necessary tools to achieve these goals, they weren’t and now we may never know what was possible. The belated approval to use missiles in Russia is just more of the same and is a case of too little, too late…again. By the way does, what was happening on the 1000 day mark in WW2?
Just a point I feel needs to be made. American ATACMS and British/French Storm Shadow/Scalp missiles are not long range weapons. With a maximum range of between 300 & 500 km they barely qualify as medium range, more like short range. A long range missile will have a range of >5000 km. Some commentators talk of strikes deep within Russia, I do not think of < 200 km as deep within Russia
It is correct to say that Ukraine needs to conduct an honest and ruthless re-assessment of its military strategy. Ukraine at least must lower its enlistment age to at least 21. This does not mean that Ukrainians will be thrown into the meat grinder. Training and weapons supplies must meet requirements, but the political and societal will must also be shown. Same goes for NATO & the EU.
Lets hope that the EU can take up any slack that may occur if Trump withdraws US support for Ukraine. With the exception of Poland, the Baltic States and possibly the Scandinavian countries, the rest of the the EU is sleep waking into a dystopian future if it cannot move beyond political platitudes. As much as as I dislike Trump, he is correct in saying that Europe should be making more of an effort in relation to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The US is still required to supply weapons and materials, but Europe is more than capable of putting boots on the ground. Once again, I would like to reiterate that Germany has a debt to repay to Europe and Ukraine because of the destruction wrought by Germany in WW2.
And in case some missed it, we are already in WW3. Putin ensured this was the case the moment he deployed North Korean troops, perhaps NATO should do the same. As for the NATO participation in the use of these missiles, that’s rubbish, Ukrainians are more than capable of arming and deploying these missiles, they have been doing this for years with both HIMARS and Storm Shadow/Scalp missiles. Russia has been flying Iranian, North Korean and its own cruise, ballistic missiles and drones into Ukraine from day 1. Why shouldn’t Ukraine be allowed to use supplied weapons to strike back at Russia?
Scholz realised that “little has changed” following his phone call with Putin, he should have told Putin that in that case he would be authorising the use of Taurus cruise missiles by Ukraine.
It is hard to believe there are still people (in authority) who think that it is still possible to negotiate with Putin/Russia. Does not the destruction of civilian infrastructure with drones, cruise missile and ballistic missiles in Ukraine count as escalation, if not war crimes? What is it going to take before the powers that be realise that Putin has no intention of limiting this war to Eastern Ukraine. Sooner or later the EU/NATO is going to have to take Putin/Russia on. No time like the present. No one wants a nuclear war, but we shouldn’t be prepared to live under a dictatorship either.
Trump must continue the sanctions against Russia - enhanced, targeted and enforced. Ukraine must be in NATO. A NATO that believes in itself.
As always an interesting article from you, thanks. In regard of Kursk I cannot agree with you. I regard it as the biggest achievment in 2024 by UAF. And I cannot agree with your assessment of the leadership. No army in the world could have been more successfull and shown more resilience under such dire conditions. No army can keep the initiative, without enough weapons and lack of ammo and properly outfitted troops. Bidens administration and the lack of European military support share the responsability since 2022 for hindering UA, enforcing her to fight under irresponsible restrictions and lack of enough support. Its a shameful display of incapable Western politicians. The US and European strategies - I doubt if it deserves the name "strategy" - are a total failure.
Hopefully, this war won’t go down in history as ‘the war the West tried not to lose’ that ushered in a new wave of authoritarian dominance over Europe and, with the help of Russia’s allies, the wider world 😕
1000 days and look where we are. I wonder if this would have been possible without Zelensky?There are more than a few politicians in the US & EU who would benefit from some of the resilience shown by Zelensky.
On one hand there was an expectation that Russia would complete its invasion of Ukraine in a matter of weeks or days, depending upon who you listened to. On the other hand after the initial success of Ukraine in turning back the Russian invasion and the taking back of territory in Kharkiv and Kherson Oblasts, there was some expectation that Ukraine could expel Russia from all the occupied territories. It may have been possible if Ukraine was given the necessary tools to achieve these goals, they weren’t and now we may never know what was possible. The belated approval to use missiles in Russia is just more of the same and is a case of too little, too late…again. By the way does, what was happening on the 1000 day mark in WW2?
Just a point I feel needs to be made. American ATACMS and British/French Storm Shadow/Scalp missiles are not long range weapons. With a maximum range of between 300 & 500 km they barely qualify as medium range, more like short range. A long range missile will have a range of >5000 km. Some commentators talk of strikes deep within Russia, I do not think of < 200 km as deep within Russia
It is correct to say that Ukraine needs to conduct an honest and ruthless re-assessment of its military strategy. Ukraine at least must lower its enlistment age to at least 21. This does not mean that Ukrainians will be thrown into the meat grinder. Training and weapons supplies must meet requirements, but the political and societal will must also be shown. Same goes for NATO & the EU.
Lets hope that the EU can take up any slack that may occur if Trump withdraws US support for Ukraine. With the exception of Poland, the Baltic States and possibly the Scandinavian countries, the rest of the the EU is sleep waking into a dystopian future if it cannot move beyond political platitudes. As much as as I dislike Trump, he is correct in saying that Europe should be making more of an effort in relation to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The US is still required to supply weapons and materials, but Europe is more than capable of putting boots on the ground. Once again, I would like to reiterate that Germany has a debt to repay to Europe and Ukraine because of the destruction wrought by Germany in WW2.
And in case some missed it, we are already in WW3. Putin ensured this was the case the moment he deployed North Korean troops, perhaps NATO should do the same. As for the NATO participation in the use of these missiles, that’s rubbish, Ukrainians are more than capable of arming and deploying these missiles, they have been doing this for years with both HIMARS and Storm Shadow/Scalp missiles. Russia has been flying Iranian, North Korean and its own cruise, ballistic missiles and drones into Ukraine from day 1. Why shouldn’t Ukraine be allowed to use supplied weapons to strike back at Russia?
Scholz realised that “little has changed” following his phone call with Putin, he should have told Putin that in that case he would be authorising the use of Taurus cruise missiles by Ukraine.
It is hard to believe there are still people (in authority) who think that it is still possible to negotiate with Putin/Russia. Does not the destruction of civilian infrastructure with drones, cruise missile and ballistic missiles in Ukraine count as escalation, if not war crimes? What is it going to take before the powers that be realise that Putin has no intention of limiting this war to Eastern Ukraine. Sooner or later the EU/NATO is going to have to take Putin/Russia on. No time like the present. No one wants a nuclear war, but we shouldn’t be prepared to live under a dictatorship either.
Trump must continue the sanctions against Russia - enhanced, targeted and enforced. Ukraine must be in NATO. A NATO that believes in itself.