Vladislav Grigoriev11:05, 03.11.24

Experts believe that the Russian dictator is going to fight Ukraine to the last, despite the huge losses of his army.

There are no signs yet that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is ready to sit down at the negotiating table to end the war against Ukraine. Experts believe that the results of the US presidential election will not affect his decision, CNN writes .

Russian foreign policy expert and fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations Thomas Graham told the publication that American politics will be at a crossroads after the US presidential election. According to him, Putin will try to exploit “cracks in Western unity.”

“In the absence of Western unity, in the absence of a clear demonstration that the West and Ukraine have a common vision of what they are trying to achieve… Putin has no reason to reconsider what he is doing in Ukraine at the moment,” Graham said.

The expert noted that these “cracks” could manifest themselves in the form of a reduction in American aid by the administration of former US President Donald Trump and a reduction in the role in NATO. In addition, a split in Congress and other factors that will affect support for Ukraine could arise.

Graham also recalled that Trump has repeatedly stated that he would end the war in Ukraine in just one day. However, the expert is not sure how this will happen:

“What Trump is thinking about doing, what leverage he has, is unclear at this point, but I don’t think it’s a quick process.”

Graham stressed that cutting US aid spending could lead to changes on the battlefield. The scale of the war is also too big for simple negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.

“For Putin, Ukraine is just a means to an end, and the end is to further limit US influence in international affairs,” said John Lough, a junior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia program at the London-based think tank Chatham House.

Lough added that Trump may still reconsider his attitude toward Putin after he looks at the war in Ukraine from a different angle. He emphasized that China’s support for Russia would signal to the Republican that Beijing poses a serious threat to Washington.

The publication shared that, according to NATO, more than 600,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded during the war in Ukraine. Even such huge losses are not a problem for Putin.

Oleg Shiryaev, commander of the 225th separate assault battalion, which is participating in the Kursk operation, told journalists that the enemy continues to build up its forces in order to push the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of the Kursk region. According to him, the main element in this war for Russia is the number of troops.

An anonymous SBU commander told the publication that the occupiers are trying to gain a foothold in the gray areas of the front in the Zaporizhia region, sending a large number of personnel into battle. An officer with the call sign “Banker” noted that the complex system of fortifications in Zaporizhia helps Ukraine defend the front line.

Other Ukrainian military officials who spoke to reporters said Russia has a number of other advantages, including a huge number of drones, expensive aircraft and advanced technology.

Vitaly Milovidov, press secretary of the 15th National Guard Brigade, which is fighting in the Donetsk region, said:

“We have ammunition, but, as the artillerymen say, there is never enough of it.”

(c)UNIAN 2024