US Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said today that Russia is not achieving its goals in its invasion of Ukraine and that Western sanctions against Moscow are partly due to that.
“What we are aiming for is a strategic failure of (Russian President) Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. And I think this is already happening, whatever happens & # 8230; “Ukraine will survive,” Sherman told a Friends of Europe think tank in Brussels.
European Union External Action Service Secretary Stefano Sannino did not elaborate on her comments.
He did, however, refer to economic sanctions and export controls imposed by the United States, the European Union, Britain, Japan and other allies after Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
Moscow claims that its “special military operation”, as it calls its invasion, is necessary to ensure Russian security and rejects Western accusations of atrocities and indiscriminate bombing of cities.
“Putin is facing a strategic failure because of the sanctions imposed because of the long-term impact that this will have,” Sherman said.
Western sanctions have already pushed Russia into its deepest economic crisis since the fall. of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The US Secretary of State stressed that there will be long-term and wider implications of sanctions and export controls imposed on Russia. He also hopes that China will take into account the western unity.
“We have hundreds of American companies, literally, that have left Russia and are not returning. Therefore, the consequences are much wider. There will be a strategic failure. “Putin has become an outcast in the world,” he saidSherman added that if the EU decides to impose sanctions on oil and gas in Russia, the United States will seek to avoid price increases that would help Russia's finances.
It may still be to win
Russian President Vladimir Putin can still win (by attack) in Ukraine despite failing to set goals before launching war against the neighboring country, Western officials said today. adding that Russia has addressed some of the issues that prevented it from invading earlier.
Russia invaded Ukraine two months ago and in recent weeks has re-focused its military presence in the east of the country after failing to occupy the capital, Kyiv.
goals, but is still able to win, “said an official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official said that success for Russia could be the consolidation of Russian control in Donbas and the construction of a land bridge with Crimea, and in what he called a “worst case scenario” there could be another attack on Kyiv
The official added that despite these possible outcomes, the invasion of Ukraine would remain a strategic mistake for Russia, given the significant losses suffered by its army, the strong resistance of Ukraine and the way in which the war “It was a strategic blunder for Russia,” he said.
Another official said Moscow had begun to face some of the issues that slowed down its army at the beginning of the invasion, but the way the forces maneuver, often in large phalanxes, still poses problems for them.
“Command and control have become more from effective & # 8230; “It is clear that they are becoming smarter about how they use UAVs and incorporate them into their forces as they go along and how they use artillery,” the official said.
