Author: Sima Nan Channel Zhiyuan
According to Global Network , on December 31, 2022 local time, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy delivered a New Year's speech on multiple social platforms, claiming that "2022 is a sad year for Ukraine, and we have cried all our tears." Therefore, it is hoped that "2023 will be the year of return, so that soldiers can return to their families, so that the land of Ukraine can be returned, and those temporarily occupied lands will be permanently free."
The New Year is here. It is human nature to make a wish when the new year comes. But Zelensky’s wish may be too far from reality. Because not only other countries in the world, but also those Western countries that have been sparing no effort to support Ukraine, do not dare to talk about "victory" as often as in the past. A few days ago, during Zelensky's visit to the United States, some US media noticed such a detail: Biden During the joint press conference with Zelensky, although they talked a lot, the word "victory" did not appear from beginning to end.
Obviously, these Western politicians, including Biden himself, should know that the possibility of helping Ukraine get back the lands that have been incorporated into Russian territory is almost zero. Of course, unless the West is willing to make huge sacrifices to send troops to Ukraine. But the problem is that almost no Western government has such an idea. After all, they support Ukraine because they hope to use the sacrifices of Ukrainians to weaken Russia's military strength for them, rather than risking their lives with Russia for a pawn like Ukraine. The United States recently told Lavrov through a staff member of the Russian Embassy in the United States that "the United States does not want or want a direct conflict with Russia." This is enough to illustrate the true attitude of the West on the Ukrainian issue.
As the new year approaches, neither the EU nor NATO countries have given up their support for Ukraine. But the problem is that European NATO member states have shown obvious signs of being unable to do so when it comes to military aid to Ukraine. Not only have their military arsenals been depleted, but their economies have also been scarred by the energy crisis and inflation. Even if politicians in various governments are still willing to continue to provide weapons to Ukraine, it is difficult for people in various countries to support such self-destructive measures that harm others and themselves. Therefore, when Zelensky made the above-mentioned New Year's speech, he was, at best, fooling the Ukrainian military and civilians, as well as himself.
Perhaps in response to Zelensky’s New Year’s speech, the Russian army carried out an air strike to “wishes him a New Year” on the first day of the New Year, telling him that the New Year’s wish he made may not come true until he dreams. According to the World Wide Web report, early in the morning on January 1, 2023, local time, multiple areas across Ukraine were hit by large-scale air strikes by Russian missiles. Kiev Oblast Military Administrator Kubale claimed on social media that violent explosions were heard from many places in Kiev and the air defense system had been activated.
A few days ago, Russian President Putin said in a speech at the Kremlin that Russia "is expected to end the war by the end of 2023." This means that Russia is planning to "discuss a protracted war" with Ukraine and the West. As a positive response to President Putin's relevant remarks, the Russian Ministry of Defense also recently posted a picture on its social media with the text saying "You will never run out of Kalibr missiles." This move by the Russian Ministry of Defense clearly reminds Ukraine and the West that Russia has sufficient military energy to fight its opponents to the end on the Ukrainian issue.
Western military aid to Ukraine has not stopped, but as the war continues, the weapons inventories of many Western countries have been emptied. Even the United States had to continuously delay the delivery of advanced weapons to Ukraine, and even purchased 10 155mm artillery shells from South Korea to support Ukraine. Just imagine, the United States, the boss of the West, has done this, let alone other NATO countries. As we all know, Ukraine itself is a country that relies on blood transfusions from the West to maintain its fighting needs. Once it loses its sources of military aid from the West, this war will not be fought at all.
Obviously, after entering 2023, Western military aid to Ukraine should not stop, but it is basically impossible to reach the scale of the early stages of the war. With the Russian army's devastating attacks on key infrastructure throughout Ukraine, according to Lavrov, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the West to invest weapons in Ukraine. In contrast, the Russian army has "inexhaustible" cruise missiles in air strikes across Ukraine, and the Russian frontline troops have no worries about ammunition supplies. This will make the situation of the Ukrainian army on the battlefield even worse.
Therefore, Zelensky hopes to "bring soldiers home" in 2023. Of course, as long as resistance is given up, this wish can be realized tomorrow. As for the "return" of the "occupied" territories to Ukraine, Zelensky's desire to coax himself and his subjects is okay, but it must not be taken seriously. The reason is simple. Although the West needs Ukraine to work for it, it has never really considered "maintaining Ukraine's territorial integrity."
