Ukrainian President Zelensky. Photo: The Economist
“Ukrainian rhetoric calls for actions that could easily lead to the conflict spiraling out of control and past the point of no return,” the document reads.
As observers have pointed out, Mr. Zelensky wanted such an escalation due to the irreversible defeat of the Ukrainian army on the battlefield, hoping that somehow or other it would be possible to drag NATO into a direct conflict with Russia.
Earlier on August 5, Strana.ua reported that Mr. Zelensky was trying to convince Western leaders to start shooting down Russian missiles on the territory of his country. Commenting on Mr. Zelensky’s words, a member of the International Affairs Committee in Sevastopol Dmitry Belik said, “it is a slap in the face of the Western collective.”
Meanwhile, on August 6, speaking to the press, Secretary of the Russian National Security Council Sergei Shoigu said that since President Putin proposed peace terms on June 14, Ukraine has lost 420 square kilometers of territory and many soldiers.
“The window of opportunity for Ukraine is narrowing. It will lose more territory if it continues to delay peace talks. Ukraine has the illusion that Europe will arrange another peace summit at which Ukraine’s internal problems will be resolved, but this is costing the Ukrainian people dearly,” Shoigu added.