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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhat will happen when Putin declares victory on May 9?
Will the West allow him to keep his territorial gains? Will it just get tired of helping Ukraine?
From today's Guardian:
Thu 21 Apr 2022 09.41 EDT
As Russia builds up its offensive operations in the east of Ukraine, many in the west have suggested that Vladimir Putin has ordered his forces to deliver success in Mariupol in time for Russias Victory Day, on 9 May. Thats an assessment based largely on circumstantial evidence and the cult status of Victory Day itself but its not one thats supported by what Russia is telling its own population, where domestic propaganda channels are no longer making promises of a swift end to the conflict.
Nevertheless, Putin is free to declare victory by whatever artificial deadline he chooses. Russia has already reinvented what its war was supposed to achieve, and can do so again if necessary. Moscow can say it has achieved its aims regardless of the facts on the ground and call an end to its special operation at will. This would present Ukraine with another harsh dilemma the need to fight on while Russia appears to be offering peace, risking the erosion of support from western backers who would prefer an end to the fighting even if, in the long term, it could mean the end of Ukraine.
A unilaterally declared end to the war by Russia will cause Ukraines western partners to push Kyiv to follow suit, which Volodymyr Zelenskiy may be unable to resist. Those partners will also slacken their material support for continuing operations if he is seen to be continuing the war unnecessarily. With or without a 9 May deadline, there are good reasons for Russia to seek a temporary end to the fighting, not least to allow its battered forces to regroup. A declaration of victory would provide the off-ramp for Russia that would actually be useful to Moscow, unlike many of the options presented at the beginning of the year by western leaders who were trying to avoid conflict in the first place.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/apr/21/putin-war-victory-russia-ukraine
BeyondGeography
(39,374 posts)Who wrote this?
Wingus Dingus
(8,054 posts)doesn't have to recognize Russia as the victor and/or recognize any Russian-controlled Ukrainian territory as Russian. Not sure why this author thinks the west will respect or agree with his pronouncements.
BeyondGeography
(39,374 posts)How would that actually work in the face of a well-armed, highly-organized and vengeful Ukrainian military? Zelensky will not give an inch as long as he has that hand to play. To do so would be to write his own death sentence.
The author seems to think, after two months of an unjust, illegal, criminal and mostly losing (from the Russian POV) war, the key players in the West and Ukraine are just a pathetic Russian propaganda exercise away from becoming bored and cowardly.
Bullshit.
Tetrachloride
(7,847 posts)howitzers for the win
gab13by13
(21,360 posts)who is the Guardian author?