Ukraine, “the most difficult moment of the war.” Letter from the United States to Zelensky

We are in the “most difficult moment” for Ukraine, because the time window to recover the territories occupied by the Russians is closing: autumn will soon come and weather conditions will make operations more difficult for the armed forces under the orders of Volodymyr Zelensky. This was confirmed by four different Western political and diplomatic sources on CNN. Weeks after the expected start of the Ukrainian assessment of the counteroffensive, the officials say, they are becoming increasingly “disappointed” about whether Kiev’s forces will be able to liberate large swaths of Russian-occupied territory. As autumn approached, with poor weather and terrain, the window through which Kiev’s forces could hope to advance narrowed.

“They haven’t seen yet if there is a possibility of some progress in the next two weeks. But for them, real progress changes the balance of the conflict. I think it’s very unlikely,” a senior Western diplomat told CNN. “Our briefings are disappointing. They remind us of the challenges they face. This is the toughest time in the war,” says Mike Quigley, a Democratic US congressman who just returned from a meeting in Europe with US commanders tasked with training Ukrainian forces. . The main problem is the different levels of the Russian defensive lines with their minefields and trenches.

A Western diplomat points out that “the Russians have several lines of defense and (Ukrainian forces) have not yet conquered the first line.” “We all realize, even the Ukrainians, that it’s more difficult and slower than we’d like, but we still think there’s time and space for progress,” a senior US official notes instead. In short, while Kiev continues strikes in Russia, on the borders as well as in infrastructures in Crimea up to central Moscow, what worries the West is what is happening in Ukraine, on the battlefield.