Editorial board of one of Britain's oldest newspapers: West cannot "forget" about Ukraine

The Observer, which is considered to be the oldest Sunday newspaper in Britain and the world, published an editorial stressing that Western countries should not allow their support for Ukraine to weaken amid other challenges.

Source: European Pravda

Details: An editorial by The Observer, which has been owned by The Guardian since the 1990s, "Looking at the war in Ukraine: The West can't afford to forget about it" was published this weekend.

Quote: "Volodymyr Zelenskiy is in dire need of support as his counteroffensive against Russia stalls and the risk of stalemate looms," the summary says.

The Observer notes that the recent events in the Middle East have drawn the attention of the world political community and mass media precisely at the time when the Russian-Ukrainian war has entered a critical period.

"It's easy to understand, but it's alarming. After all, the main beneficiary of this is Russian President Vladimir Putin, who by his decision started an illegal, unprovoked full-scale invasion," the journalists emphasise.

The editors note that at the beginning of the year, the Ukrainian authorities and Western allies had high hopes for the counteroffensive, but after five months of attempts by Ukrainian forces to break through Russian minefields and engineering barriers, the result was "disappointing".

Journalists drew attention to the last column of Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, where he admitted that Ukraine faces the risk of a long-term war of attrition, which plays into the hands of Russia with its greater resources, and Ukraine needs a technological advantage to seize the initiative. 

"Ukrainian troops continue to fight with extraordinary courage and valour, but they risk exhaustion as a second winter of fighting looms. Estimates suggest that Moscow’s forces have sustained huge losses in recent battles. Yet it is evident that Putin and his generals care little for the lives of their young conscripts… Instead, Putin is intensifying drone, artillery and missile attacks," the journalists note, reminding that one of Russia's goals with the onset of cold weather will once again be the destruction of the energy infrastructure in order to put pressure on the entire civilian population.

The Observer writes that there are currently no real prospects for any peace negotiations because both Ukraine and the Kremlin reject the assumption that the situation on the battlefield is deadlocked. 

At the same time, official Kyiv fears that after the allies' "unrealistic expectations" for the counteroffensive, further Western support will begin to weaken in the absence of tangible progress. There are already "first bells" of this coming from the USA, where the Republicans did not want to support Biden's joint budget request for aid to Israel and Ukraine, as well as border protection measures. 

"The White House, backed by Senate Democrats, is determined to keep faith with Ukraine – for reasons beyond the immediate conflict. Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, was clear. 'I can guarantee that without our support, Putin will be successful,' he told the Senate – and such an outcome would imperil Russia’s other neighbours," the journalists emphasise.

The Observer brought up the recent statements of Dmitry Medvedev, the  former president of Russia, that it sees Poland as a "dangerous enemy" and that Poland supporting Ukraine risks "the death of Polish statehood". 

"With Putin apparently intent on 'victory', whatever that means and whatever the cost, now is not the moment for the West to waver in its support for Ukraine," The Observer concludes.

Earlier, NBC News reported that officials from the US and the EU began discussing with Ukraine the possibility of peace talks with Russia.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, then stated that no one in the EU or the US is pressuring him or pushing him to negotiate. 

The head of Lithuania’s Foreign Affairs Ministry warned other countries against the trap of a peace treaty with the Kremlin, saying that concessions to Russia will undermine all hopes for a peaceful future for Europe.

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