Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine has lost large areas in the east and south of the country. But according to a top general in the US military, Kyiv may soon turn the tide and retake the occupied regions. However, Ukraine is dependent on help from the West.
The former head of the US foreign intelligence service CIA David Petraeus believes that Ukraine's chances of winning the war against Russia are high. It seems "more and more likely that the Ukrainian armed forces could recapture most, if not all, of the areas that have been occupied by the Russian forces in recent months," Petraeus told the "Bild" newspaper. He believes that Russia's military success is "very unlikely".
A prerequisite for a Ukrainian success, however, is that NATO "and other Western countries" continue to "provide resources at the current pace," said Petraeus. In that case, according to the general, Ukrainian forces would be able to "stop further Russian advances" and begin "to recapture the territories captured by the Russians since February 24."
In the meantime, the heads of state and government of NATO member states and other western nations have recognized that a Russian victory would be "catastrophic for European security". They would therefore take the "necessary measures to ensure that Russia cannot succeed".
Since the start of the large-scale war of aggression, Russian forces have taken the entire Luhansk Oblast in eastern Ukraine. The Donetsk region is almost entirely in Russian hands. Parts of the Cherson and Zaporizhia regions in the south of the country are also occupied. In 2014, Russia illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula.
Petraeus is one of the most prominent representatives of the military in the USA. He was commander in chief of US troops in Iraq, NATO forces in Afghanistan and chief of US Central Command. In 2012, he resigned as head of the CIA for leaking confidential information to his biographer and lover, Paula Broadwell. After admitting guilt, he was sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence and a $100,000 fine in 2014 for leaking secrets.
