LONDON, January 20. /TASS/. The Kiev regime’s refusal to hold negotiations with Russia may have catastrophic consequences for Ukraine, political analyst Bethany Elliott said in a column for the UnHerd web portal.
In her opinion, prolonging the conflict will merely bolster Russia’s stance, given that "Moscow is steadily seizing territory and Kiev’s issues with manpower are well-documented." She noted that the Kiev regime’s strategy to use Western-made long-range missiles to continue strikes deep inside Russia in order to make Moscow relax its demands on the conflict settlement may prove to be erroneous. "While such strikes undeniably hinder Russia’s economy and ability to wage war, it is doubtful as to whether they could inflict so much pain on Moscow as to make it limp desperately into the negotiating room for some much-needed respite," the analyst wrote.
She added that US President-elect Donald Trump’s administration may decide against toughening energy sanctions against Russia "for fear of pushing Moscow closer to Beijing." Elliott pointed out that Trump’s overall goal is provoking "a split between the two powers." She concluded that with such an approach, it will be problematic for Ukraine to steer the course of the conflict in its favor.