US-China Relations Updates

The Russo-Ukrainian war has been ongoing until now, and both sides have been suffering losses. Even though Russia desires a quick end to the war, Ukraine is no longer in a position to surrender, as it has received financial aid, weapons, and supplies from Western countries. You must work diligently for the benefit of the Western countries, or else you will face even more difficult circumstances. This war has significantly weakened Russia, but does Russia regret it? Of course, there may be some regrets, but Russia has also been pushed to an unbearable extent. If the war had not started, perhaps Western forces would have been deployed to Ukraine, putting even greater pressure on Russia. At least for now, Western forces dare not openly wage war against Russia, as no one can bear the consequences of a nuclear war.

Ukraine has persisted until now, but is it really just Ukraine? Clearly not, thanks to the assistance of Western countries. With dozens of countries continuing to deliver weapons and supplies, Ukraine has the resources to fight, while Russia must fight alone. But there is no other way; Russia has chosen war and can only fight to the end, with no room for concessions. Yet Russia is still unable to defeat Ukraine. Why? Because Russia is no longer facing a simple Ukraine but the entire Western world. It is a formidable task to confront dozens of countries with one’s own strength. Russia may want to quickly end the war by using nuclear weapons, but does Russia dare to do so? If nuclear weapons are used, Russia will become an enemy of the world, and the situation will worsen, potentially leading to a global nuclear war.

Since June, Ukraine has launched an all-out counteroffensive against Russia with unprecedented strength. Whether in the Donetsk direction, the Kupiansk direction, the Red Lymans direction, the Southern Donetsk direction, the Zaporizhzhia direction, or the Kherson direction, we have witnessed Ukraine organizing large-scale and uninterrupted counterattacks. Ukraine can use all available advanced weapons, especially the Leopard 2 tanks provided by Western countries, which have indeed put significant pressure on Russia. Russia has also suffered significant losses, but that does not mean Russia has been defeated. Russia clearly has the advantage in terms of war capabilities. It will not be an easy task for Ukraine to regain its lost territory!

So far, we have seen that Ukraine’s counteroffensive has been ongoing for three months, lasting a total of 90 days. However, Ukraine has not achieved significant gains in the war but has been reduced to surviving in a difficult situation. This outcome has indeed disappointed Western countries. After all, Western countries have continuously provided supplies and weapons to Ukraine, hoping that Ukraine would make progress. Instead, Ukraine has suffered heavy losses. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukraine has lost up to 70,000 soldiers in the 90-day counteroffensive. This is not a small number, and the loss of 70,000 lives is already a devastating toll. How many more can Ukraine afford to lose?

According to Russia, Ukraine has also suffered heavy equipment losses, with over 7,500 pieces of weaponry directly destroyed and thousands of military aircraft, primarily drones, shot down. Ukraine now has limited fighter jets and helicopters available, and any that dare to appear are highly likely to be shot down. Therefore, Ukraine can only use drones to attack Russia’s mainland and frontline bases. Although they have achieved some results, they cannot hide the fact that they have been hit hard. Even with a significant number of drones remaining, how long can Ukraine hold on with the current losses? Unless Western countries continue to provide drones, Ukraine will struggle to disrupt Russia.

Within just one month, Ukraine had 34 tactical command centers hit, most of them targeted by cluster bombings or direct airstrikes from the Russian Air Force. This has made it challenging for Ukraine’s frontline forces to organize large-scale counterattacks. In these three months of counteroffensive, we have witnessed hundreds of Ukrainian command centers being wiped out. Russia predominantly uses naval and aerial forces for these attacks. These command centers are directly destroyed, leaving many Ukrainian soldiers with no time to react. Faced with Russia’s overwhelming firepower, Ukraine is helpless. Its defense system is currently fragmented, with most of it destroyed, making it unable to effectively intercept Russian military aircraft and missiles. Therefore, Ukraine is constantly taking hits.

After three months of counteroffensive, Ukraine needs to show some results to satisfy Western countries. However, despite the heavy losses, they are unable to match their strength. Russia’s losses are still less than a tenth of Ukraine’s, highlighting the significant gap. But there is no other choice. Ukraine is now out of its own control, and without instructions from Western countries, it can only continue its counteroffensive. This also means that Ukrainian soldiers will only become fewer and fewer. If the fighting continues for three to five years, how many Ukrainian soldiers will remain?

But for Western countries, it doesn’t matter. As long as they can weaken Russia, they don’t care even if the entire Ukraine is buried. After all, it is Ukraine that will always bear the brunt. Ukraine is merely a tool utilized by Western countries, and they do not care much about the fate of the Ukrainian people.