Ill-advised and isolated, Zelensky must capitulate, so we can put this mess behind us

Ioannis Damellos

As Moscow's troops tighten their grip on Donbas, Kyiv seeks more western missile systems to "change the game" in Ukraine. But it is too late now because not only the US and Europe are divided, but also because the Russians have changed their strategy and blanket bomb everything that moves. The result is devastating for the Ukrainian Army, the people, the infrastructure, and the countryside. 

Ukraine's fate was sealed way before the Russian imperialist machine decided to act. Also, Zelensky was warned to negotiate many times since February, but his puppet-masters in the US ill-advised him, and now it is too late. He's got to go. He has failed on many levels. He failed his people by letting the Neo-Nazi militia provoke the Russians in Donbas since he was elected in power; he also let them run the war effort since February and overestimated the benefits of his association with Hegemony and NATO. He has no historical memory whatsoever unless he has not opened a book on WW2 in his entire life.

Now Russia appears to be gaining the upper hand in the battle for Donbas with a resounding victory. Following reports that the city of Lyman had fallen under Russian control, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov claimed Saturday night that even Severodonetsk had also fallen into Russian hands. This is fake news of course, but not for long. His statements have not yet been officially confirmed by Moscow, nor by Kyiv, yet it is clear that Russian troops have gained the upper hand in the conflict and are gaining ground at high speed.

Moreover, Volodymyr Zelensky himself has admitted that "the situation in this area of ​​Donbas is very, very difficult", despite his estimates that Liman and Severodonetsk would remain Ukrainian. 

Deadlocks and disagreements in the West 

The Russian chess game is rapidly gaining ground. The Ukrainian pawns are falling one by one. The Donbas region is now under stifling pressure with Russian forces launching heavy artillery bombardment and airstrikes on a 24 hour-basis, while Ukrainian officials continue to call for better US weapons, such as MLRS rocket launchers, to halt the Russian war machine. 

These missile launchers could hit Russian positions, military bases, airstrips, and supply lines while having a range of up to 300 km. However, disagreements in Washington continue and delay the delivery of these systems, as some of Joe Biden's advisers worry that Kyiv will try to hit targets inside Russian territory, which could lead the US and NATO to a serious escalation. In addition, Moscow has already warned that the delivery of these missile systems is a red line and the Russian response will be severe.

Some US media outlets leaked yesterday that the American President has agreed to send some modern missile systems to Kyiv, but there are doubts about the types of these weapons, while the Pentagon and the White House have not commented yet.

As expected, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba rushed to announce new missions of heavy weapons, to boost the morale of his soldiers and citizens. Kuleba, after talks with his American counterpart, noted that "the heavy weapons mission was at the top of their agenda and more weapons are coming". But it is hard to believe that in the next few weeks, the Western Alliance will provide Ukraine with the ammunitions needed to change the fate of this war.

Instead, British analysts note that while the EU is still trying to break the deadlock over the Russian oil embargo, Emanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz had a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin today applying pressure on Moscow to end the military conflict soon, while pushing Kyiv to cede territory to Russia.