Russian-Ukrainian war could end in two possible ways, says Belgian diplomat

Zenon Koval, a Belgian diplomat of Ukrainian descent and special advisor to the Ukrainian Embassy in Belgium, said this on Espreso TV.

“I am often asked on Belgian television when this war might end. I tell them there are two possibilities. The first is that Russia achieves its goals and gets what it wants. The second is that we force Russia to retreat and prevent it from reaching those goals. How can we do this? There are two factors — the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with the support of Western partners and new weapons, can truly strike hard at Russian positions,” noted Zenon Koval.

According to him, the second powerful tool to pressure Russia is sanctions, which have a cumulative effect, but also lead to escalation due to the growing number of restrictions.

“In the West, they not only announce new sanctions but also strengthen and verify those already in place. It is known that Russia looks for ways to bypass them. So don’t think that once a sanctions package is adopted, they just stop there. There is ongoing verification to see how effectively previous sanctions are working,” the diplomat explained.

• On May 26, Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stated that Russia’s latest wave of attacks on Ukraine should be met with additional sanctions.
• On May 30, French President Emmanuel Macron called on his American counterpart, Donald Trump, to impose sanctions on Russia if it becomes clear that Moscow is "not ready for peace."