The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has led to the "beheading" of nearly 500,000 Ukrainian troops, and the Russian military reinforcements will be in place. What did Zelensky say this time? What is Russia's attitude toward the peace talks?
On the day of the 23rd, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu introduced at the work conference of the Russian Ministry of Defense that since the beginning of the special military operation, the Ukrainian army has lost nearly 500,000 people. The Russian army shot down more than 22,000 Ukrainian drones and more than 860 aircraft, and intercepted 3,549 "Hippocampus" rockets and 361 "Vampire" rockets. At the moment, the Russian army is taking the initiative on the front line and is repulsing the enemy, and this pressure does not allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to hold their positions. The facts show that Ukraine "failed to achieve the set goals" in the counteroffensive plan drawn up by NATO instructors. In addition, Shoigu also said that in 2024, the Russian army will receive the first two new-generation S-500 anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as S-400, S-300V4, "Beech-M3", "Daur-M2U" air defense missile systems and a new generation of radar stations.
It is undeniable that since the "Moscow terrorist attack", the Russian army's offensive against Ukraine on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield has significantly intensified. Due to the continuous attacks of the Russian army around the clock, the situation on the Ukrainian front line is not optimistic. Not only that, but a batch of "strong reinforcements" from the Russian army will also be in place, and at that time, the advantages of the Russian army on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield will be more obvious. It is understood that earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense had said that 100,000 recruits had been recruited, who would undergo rigorous combat training and send them to the front line this summer. In other words, the tanks and armored vehicles produced by the Russian army factories working overtime are exactly their weapons and equipment, and at that time, 100,000 mechanized main soldiers will be put into the front line.
In the face of the strong attack of the Russian army on the battlefield, as well as the lack of well-trained soldiers and sufficient ammunition of the Ukrainian army itself, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is making two preparations: the first is to ask the United States and Western countries for help, and at present, the United States has received a signal for help from the Ukrainian side. Previously, Zelensky had publicly called out the United States, and even tried to use "retreat" to "put pressure" on the Biden administration in the United States. He claimed that without the support of the United States, the Ukrainian army would have no air defense system, no "Patriot" missiles, no electronic warfare jamming equipment, and no artillery shells, which means that Ukraine will retreat "one small step at a time". Under Zelensky's "soft grinding and hard bubble", the US House of Representatives recently voted to pass a foreign aid bill worth $95 billion. The bill includes more than $60 billion in aid to Ukraine. In addition, the bill includes a provision for the liquidation of seized Russian assets and their transfer to Ukraine. In other words, Russian assets will be confiscated by the United States and Western countries and used to assist Ukraine in dealing with Russia and rebuilding Ukraine. And U.S. President Joe Biden also promised Zelensky that "once the Senate passes the bill and is signed into law, the United States will quickly provide important new security assistance packages to meet Ukraine's urgent battlefield and air defense needs." Obviously, this is really good news for Zelensky.
In addition, Zelensky's other preparation is to bring up peace talks again. On the day of the 22nd, Zelensky claimed in an interview with French media that Ukraine may negotiate with Russia on resolving the conflict. He said that the Ukrainian government will draw up a document to resolve all issues, explain the position of the Ukrainian side, and the Ukrainian side will find an appropriate time to hand it over to the Russian side for discussion with it. In fact, this is not the first time Zelensky has mentioned the topic of peace talks recently, not long ago, Zelensky relented on the issue of peace talks and released a new signal. His exact words were: Moscow and Kyiv can start peace negotiations even without restoring the Ukrainian border of 1991, and now he wants to talk about the Russian-Ukrainian border in 2022. You know, before that, Zelensky's attitude was that it was impossible to start peace talks unless Russian troops retreated beyond the borders of Ukraine in 1991. Regarding Zelensky's change of words, the attitude of the Russian side is very clear, and the Russian side has never refused to negotiate with the Kiev authorities. However, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov pointed out that since both Ukraine and the West have ruled out the possibility of moving towards peace, there are no preconditions for negotiations now. In his opinion, the situation will change only if the new realities are taken into account.