Ukraine is ready for next phase of hostilities. The American general has no illusions

Former NATO commander in Europe, General Philip Breedlove, assessed that the Ukrainian troops' offensive was not a failure. In his opinion, Russia has suffered heavy losses, and Ukraine is prepared for the next phase of hostilities.

Philip Breedlove spoke about the current situation in Ukraine on Tuesday during his speech at the Atlantic Council. The American general commented, among other things, on the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

"I don't think 'failure' is the right word. I believe the counteroffensive is certainly slowed down. The ground element has decelerated. However, this does not mean that hostilities have slowed down, especially near Avdiivka and elsewhere. The Russians lost a significant number of soldiers", Breedlove pointed out.

Ukraine is ready for the next phase

He highlighted that in 2023, the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not achieve major territorial gains but made some progress. The general considered the successes of crossing the Dnieper to its left bank in the Kherson Oblast and operations in the Black Sea, which caused many problems for the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation.

The general noted that it is now important for the United States to “provide continued aid” so that Ukraine can do what it should do.

"Good progress and high costs for Russia tell me that this is not a failed counteroffensive. I believe that Ukraine is ready for the next phase of hostilities"
the expert emphasized.

Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter, that a secret meeting was held in Riyadh in December between Ukraine, G7 allies, and a small group of countries from the global South. The goal was to gain support for Ukrainian conditions for entering peace talks with Russia.

The talks between security advisers took place on December 16 in Saudi Arabia and followed several broader meetings aimed at thwarting Russia's efforts to divide Ukraine and its allies.

This time the meeting was kept secret so that individual countries felt they could freely join it. The narrower format also allowed for a more honest exchange of views on the Ukrainian peace concept and the principles of Russia's potential participation in the talks.