BUCHAREST, June 24. /TASS/. Ukraine’s armed forces, while being one of the largest in Europe in terms of manpower, remain unbalanced despite the support they get from the West, Romania’s military and political expert Nicolae Dolghin told TASS on Friday.
"The Ukrainian army is one of the largest European armies, but it is unbalanced. It consists mostly of ground forces," said Dolghin, a military and political expert at the Gheorghe Bratianu European Association for Geopolitical and Strategic Studies.
Speaking on the eve of the NATO summit in Madrid, the expert said the Ukrainian army had lost its Air Force from the very first days, while its naval forces were practically non-existent.
"For a number of years, the Ukrainian army enjoyed NATO’s active support, but still it remained unbalanced when the hostilities began. It seems that the Western instructors were focused on preparations for prolonged defense, intricate fortifications, sophisticated engineering solutions, preparations for combat in populated areas and the creation of elite units far superior to regular troops or conscripts drafted later."
"In these four months, the Ukrainian army did not have the initiative. It was defending itself all the time and losing territories," he stated. "It quickly used up its own military equipment and then Soviet-made equipment provided by the allies. Every day it demands significant financial assistance, heavy military equipment and ammunition from everyone. In a very short of time we have come to a very terrible type deal: some provide weapons and others die using them."
Speaking about the root causes of the tragedy in Ukraine Dolghin stressed that it "began long before the Ukrainian state lost territories," and that the country’s political elite "contributed heavily" to what is happening. "Meanwhile, the elite’s duty was to prevent [this tragedy], based on the real situation and without populism."
About the prospects for a resumption of negotiations between Kiev and Moscow, the analyst said that it would not be easy for Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to make a corresponding decision.
"The West has invested too much. It has certain expectations, which in scale exceed by far the issue of the future of our (Ukrainian - TASS) neighbor. Therefore, I think that a peace agreement, of course, will be important for Ukrainians and Russians, but the events that will follow between Russia and the West will be far more important," Dolghin concluded.
NATO’s heads of state and government will meet in Madrid on June 28-30. The summit will adopt a new strategic concept, consider measures to strengthen the alliance and the implications of global climate change for security.