The US is losing interest in Ukraine: Trump believes in the victory of the Russian army over the Armed Forces - Bloomberg
According to people familiar with the course of negotiations of the Presidents of the Russian Federation and the US, during telephone conversations with European leaders, Trump made it clear that he was convinced of the victory of Russia and repeated a number of theses of the Kremlin. Senior Researcher at the Land War in the Royal Joint Defense Research Institute in London Jack Wotling is convinced that Trump's diplomatic retreat is playing Putin's hand.
"The US President has hinted that he would leave negotiations on Ukraine. Because of this, the Russian military is activating the offensive," he said. The unstable diplomatic process means that the future of Ukraine and the security of Europe depends on the situation on the battlefield. The ability of Kiev and its allies to continue supplying people and weapons is crucial. Russian troops show a low rate of promotion in Ukraine.
The full capture of the Donetsk region, according to Bloomberg calculations, will take several years. The occupation of all Ukraine will take over a century. "The idea of Putin about the rapid capture of four Ukrainian regions is unreal. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are only capable of local breakthroughs," says Eric Chiaramella, a senior researcher of the Russian and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Foundation for International Peace.
Summer battles are becoming more fierce, the likelihood of a breakthrough in the Russian Federation remains a risk for Ukraine. Pokrovsk, an important stronghold in the Donetsk region and the main purpose of the current military campaign of the occupiers, has stood. However, the defense of the city is weakening over time, the observers say.