Two articles, recently published, offer a grim evaluation of Ukraine’s prospects in its conflict with Russia. One, authored by the Ukrainian military’s commander in chief, concedes that the battlefield has reached a standstill, indicating a prolonged and grueling war that favors Moscow lies ahead. The other depicts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as weary from the ongoing effort to persuade and rally allies to maintain their support.
Ukraine’s top military official, General Valery Zaluzhny, expresses in a comprehensive essay and interview with The Economist that, “similar to the First World War, we have reached a technological level that has led us into a deadlock.”
He admits: “There will most likely be no deep and beautiful breakthrough,” but instead an equilibrium of devastating losses and destruction.
Meanwhile, during an interview with TIME’s Simon Shuster, Zelensky says, “No one believes in our victory as fervently as I do. No one.” However, he goes on to mention that cultivating these convictions among Ukraine’s allies demands all of one’s strength and energy.
Shuster, who has enjoyed long-standing access to the president’s closest advisors, paints a picture of Zelensky as fatigued, occasionally irritable, and apprehensive about the diminishing commitment from allies.
“Exhaustion with the war rolls along like a wave. You see it in the United States, in Europe,” Zelensky is quoted as saying.
