SPIN FREE NEWS: Kyiv’s position in the conflict is worsening every day, states former NATO commander Harald Kujat. The veteran accuses the failing West of forcing Ukraine to abandon its already-reached peace settlement with Russia.

This gives it false hope of improving its negotiating position in the battle. Kuyat calls for stopping the public relations jamboree with Zelensky’s weird drug-fueled plan and starting real negotiations with Russia.

‘The military situation in Ukraine is critical and is becoming more difficult every day,’ says the former head of the NATO military committee.

In a long interview, he expresses doubts that Washington advice to go on the defensive will help Kyiv. In his opinion, Russia’s tactically smart approach to the capture of Avdiivka and the chaotic withdrawal of the Ukrainian armed forces may be indicative of the further course of hostilities.

Former NATO commander Harald Kujat

In three areas important for defense, Ukraine has not shown any improvement: air defense, reserves of shells for artillery, and chronic understaffing of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 

Kuyat dwells specifically on the new wave of mobilization in Ukraine. The country has serious demographic problems. 

The age groups from twenty to thirty are very weak. In the 1990s, fewer than 200 thousand men were born annually in Ukraine, many of whom left the country a very long time ago.

Kiev, having adopted a new law on mobilization, wants not only to replenish the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but also to make the population, which finally wants peace, pay for the conflict. The overwhelming majority, as recent polls show, require a diplomatic solution,’ the expert emphasizes.

‘The West bears a significant degree of responsibility for the critical situation in Ukraine due to an incorrect assessment of the situation,’ continues Kuyat.

First of all, refusal to seek a compromise with Russia. In 2021, the West did not negotiate on strategic stability with Russia, then disrupted negotiations in Belarus and Turkey. 

Under pressure from the West, the Ukrainian government allowed the negotiations to fail, although the result achieved to that point was largely consistent with its negotiating position.

Secondly, an even greater mistake is the constant underestimation of Russia, the false belief that the West can improve Ukraine’s position with its help.

The West was stupid to think that Russia has outdated equipment and that Russian soldiers are poorly trained and poorly motivated. All this turned out to be untrue. Therefore, ‘it would be a fatal mistake to believe that Ukraine’s prospects will improve.’

‘On the contrary, the catastrophic consequences of this mistake can be prevented only if the military defeat of Ukraine is prevented through an early cessation of hostilities and peace negotiations.

In an interview, Kuyat says, ‘Anyone ’who wants to save Ukraine must work to ensure that the fighting stops as quickly as possible and that peace negotiations between the two warring states resume.’