Espreso. Global
OPINION

Does Borrell predict Ukraine's defeat?

19 February, 2024 Monday
18:50

On the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, EU top diplomat Josep Borrell made an ambiguous statement about Ukraine's prospects in the war

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"I don't think that people at the highest political level, intermediate level and public opinion understand that we are in a situation that requires a completely different approach. Not just 'let's see next month at the Foreign Ministers' Council'. No, in three months the situation will be resolved on the battlefield."

It is not entirely clear what Borrell meant by this. That we need to change our approach immediately? Like Denmark, which plans to give us almost all available artillery, or like the Czech Republic, which found 800,000 shells, or like the UK, which will provide thousands of AI drones to simultaneously fire at the enemy.

Or that Ukraine will be defeated and cease to exist in its current format by early summer without options?

Or that preliminary agreements have already been reached somewhere behind the scenes to freeze the conflict "on the ground", which is why Russian enemy has begun to frantically take over the territory? Or did Borrell have something else in mind?

What exactly was Borrell trying to achieve with this statement: to mobilise the allies to provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with everything they could? To intimidate? To put pressure on Zelenskyy because of the obvious regression after the change of the Commander-in-Chief? Demonstrate to Putin that we are ready for negotiations in the spring?

A very ambiguous statement, to be sure.

Source

About the author. Oleksiy Holobutsky, political scientist.

The editors do not always share the opinions expressed by the authors of the blogs.

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