On June 25, when the world's attention was focused on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to cancel the right to abortion, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine also entered its 121st day, and the war situation in the Donbass region has undergone new changes.
On the same day, Luhansk military commander Gedai appointed by the Ukrainian government confirmed that the Ukrainian army will have to withdraw from the city of Severodonetsk.
Severo Donetsk is an important town in the Donbass region. It is not only the political center in the practical sense, but also an important industrial city in the eastern Udong region. Since the fall of Mariupol , the Ukrainian army has been in Northern Donetsk. The Croatian and Russian troops fought fiercely for nearly a month.
Previously, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the Russian army had completely controlled about 80% of Severodonetsk, and the Ukrainian army was forced to retreat to the suburban industrial park. But as the Russian army's offensive becomes more and more fierce, it is obvious that the Ukrainian army cannot hold on any longer, otherwise the top brass of the Ukrainian military will not issue a retreat order.
Gedai also said frankly in a TV speech that day that in recent days, the Russian army's offensive has made significant progress, and the Ukrainian army's position has been " fragmented " and there is no reason to continue to hold on.
With the withdrawal of the Ukrainian army, it is almost only a matter of time before the Russian army takes full control of Severodonetsk. Once Severodonetsk falls, Lisichansk will become the only city controlled by Ukraine in the entire Luhansk region.
The situation in Lisichansk is not optimistic either. The Russian army has controlled several nearby traffic arteries. What cannot be foreseen is that after the Russian army takes full control of Severodonetsk, it will devote more energy and troops to launch an attack on Lischichansk.
Judging from the current situation, although the Russian army's attack on the Wudong region cannot be called a devastating attack, it can at least be called a steady and step-by-step attack.
An indisputable fact is that in this war of attrition, the Ukrainian army has shown a situation of "lack of stamina".
However, even if the war situation becomes increasingly unfavorable to Ukraine, top Ukrainian officials still have illusions about the West.
A few days ago, Zelensky's senior adviser Arestovich publicly declared that Ukraine's eventual joining of NATO and EU was just a "formality", and Ukraine was "in fact" already a member of NATO.
Arestovich admitted in an interview that whether NATO and the EU are ready to accept Ukraine is indeed a question, but it is not important.
Arestovich believes that after Ukraine becomes an EU candidate country, Ukraine can receive EU development funds to build infrastructure. He also said that Ukraine has also become the 13th member of the " Three Seas Initiative ", which will allow Ukraine to obtain funding, transportation, security and other guarantees.
Arestovich believes that the other 12 member states of the "Three Seas Initiative" are all EU countries, which shows that the relationship between Ukraine and the EU is deeper than imagined.
In addition, Arestovich claimed when talking about NATO that Ukraine is now a "de facto NATO member" .
He said that although Ukraine does not apply to NATO's collective defense principle, more than 50 countries led by the United States have promised the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense that they will "never" let Ukraine lose this war.
Among Zelensky’s many advisers, Arestovich is the most active. Previously, he not only announced sensitive Ukrainian official information in advance, but also made wild remarks and even made rude remarks about many Western officials (including Kissinger) who called for peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
However, Arestovich’s above-mentioned remarks obviously cannot withstand scrutiny.
Ukraine has now just become an EU candidate country, and its treatment is completely different from that of a formal member state. Even if it can receive some assistance from the EU, it cannot meet its own needs at all.
More importantly, the EU will not help Ukraine for free.
Putin once reminded Ukraine that if Ukraine joins the EU, it will become a semi-colonial of Western countries, and the EU will not be able to help Ukraine resume strategic industries such as aircraft, ships, and electronic manufacturing, because It is impossible for the West to "spend money to cultivate competitors."
As for NATO, the Secretary-General of NATO and Biden have reiterated many times that Ukraine is a partner of NATO, but it is not a member of NATO, so it does not apply to NATO's collective principles.
In the eyes of the United States, Ukraine is just a pawn used to contain and consume Russia. The current conflict between Russia and Ukraine is essentially another proxy war carefully planned by the United States. It is impossible for Washington to send troops to intervene in the conflict, but only to provide some military and economic assistance to Kiev .
But then again, there is no turning back. The war has reached this point. Apart from placing its hope in the West, does Ukraine have a second option?
It’s time for this war to end.
