BEIJING, March 14. /TASS/. The morale of the Ukrainian troops is not strong enough and the lack of weapons in stock leaves no chance for countering the offensive of the Russian army. According to analyst Cui Heng, a scholar from the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, the EU authorities are aware of this and have been trying to prevent the complete defeat of their policy in confrontation with Russia.

"The EU is aware that Ukraine's military morale and weapon reserves are currently insufficient to withstand a potential Russian offensive," the Global Times quotes the expert as saying. "This is why NATO members are reportedly considering sending troops to Ukraine to prevent a direct attack from Russian forces on Kiev or the seizure of Odessa, as this would demolish the efforts of the US and EU has made in Ukraine."

Cui recalled that China remained neutral on the Ukrainian crisis and was actively mediating, and that Beijing's "shuttle diplomacy is important to find common ground among different parties."

"Now the situation shows that the conflict is likely to escalate, so even if China can't bring everyone to the table immediately, it can at least contribute to the reduction of the risks of miscalculation and avoid escalations among the conflicting parties," Cui noted.

According to his colleague, Cui Hongjian, a professor with the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, now is precisely the time China and the international community should work together to form a united front and work together to prevent tensions from escalating. According to him, it is necessary to create a political basis for negotiations through compromise.

As the Chinese experts note, "the West is becoming fatigued and weaker in its capabilities amid a prolonged conflict." They specify that at this stage, China's role as a mediator is important.

Conflict escalation risks in Ukraine

Earlier, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU said that the ambassadors of the 27 EU member states reached an agreement in principle to allocate an additional 5 billion euros to replenish the European Peace Facility in 2024 to supply weapons to Kiev. On March 18, at a scheduled meeting in Brussels, the issue will go before the EU foreign ministers, and if approved, the decision will come into force.

In late February, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the possibility of sending ground troops of Western countries to Ukraine had been discussed in Paris. The participants in the meeting did not reach a consensus, but such a scenario cannot be ruled out in the future. While commenting on this statement, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that a direct military conflict between NATO and Russia would be inevitable if the West intervened directly.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with TV journalist Dmitry Kiselev that nuclear weapons could be used in case of a threat to the existence of the Russian state or harm to its sovereignty and independence.