Russians today are in a situation where, thanks to their offensive operations, they can achieve almost nothing on the battlefield, while Ukraine's successes help create the conditions necessary to end the war. US Vice President JD Vance said this in an interview with The Sunday Times, reports UNN.
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According to Vance, when he studied the war between Russia and Ukraine, it seemed obvious to him that, given the proliferation of drones and surveillance technologies, it would be more expedient for Ukraine to hold positions and exhaust Russia rather than launch costly offensive operations to recapture occupied territories.
"If you recall the summer of 2023, the main point of contention was whether Ukraine should attempt a large-scale counteroffensive. Almost the entire Western world, including President Biden, pressured the Ukrainians to launch a massive counteroffensive, which later turned out to be a strategic and tactical disaster," Vance said.
The Trump administration, he added, leans toward the view that Ukrainians, alongside negotiations, should focus as much as possible on defense.
"This approach has yielded much more fruit because it is easier to be on the defensive than on the offensive. It allowed the Ukrainians to use their tactical advantage a little better. Frankly, the Russians are now in a situation where what they can achieve through prolonged offensive operations is negligible — and approaching zero. This could well create the space we need to bring this matter to a conclusion," Vance said.
He added that the Russians are paying a high price for every square kilometer they capture. According to him, this is because the US and NATO encouraged Ukraine to focus more on defense, which proved effective.