Putin's longshot at winning against Ukraine - How Russia believes war will end 'by autumn'
VLADIMIR PUTIN is renewing his military campaign in Ukraine, with Russian troops now intensifying skirmishes around the country's separatist-occupied eastern outskirts. Putin's administration has found solace in an assumption that may prove faulty.
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The Kremlin is attempting to make new inroads in Ukraine, with Russian soldiers flooding into the country's separatist regions. Fighting has recently intensified around several tactically significant cities in the Luhansk region, namely Severodonetsk. Ukrainian soldiers have mounted fierce resistance, but Russian leadership believes it can wait out its opposition.
In a recent report, Kremlin officials said they believed they could win the war in Ukraine by autumn this year.
A source close to the Russian government told news outlet Meduza they would "grind [Ukraine] down in the end".
They added the "whole thing" would be "over by fall", while another outlined Russia had pinned hopes on Europe.
The second source said Ukraine's European support would fall through if Russia waited long enough.
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They said Europe would eventually "tire of helping", given the financial toll of supporting the country to defend itself.
The source said Ukrainian allies would eventually need the "money and arms production" dedicated to the country "for themselves".
Russia's proposed tactic may confuse some onlookers who have seen the west's support for Ukraine grow in recent weeks.
The report from Meduza follows renewed pledges from world powers to help the country keep fighting.
Speaking at the Quad summit last week, US President Joe Biden said the war has become a "global issue".
As the conflict threatens "all parts of the world", he said the US would work with its international allies to prevent "unilateral attempts to change the status quo".
A recent draft concluding statement for the coming "special meeting of the European Council" of May 30 to 31 has recommitted EU support.
The statement, seen by Reuters, said the union was "unwavering in its commitment" to helping Ukraine "exercise its inherent right of self-defence against the Russian aggression".
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen backed up the bloc's stance while attending Davos last week.
She told the forum: "Ukraine must win this war, and Putin's aggression must be a strategic failure."
While Ukraine can count on support from the EU, it is not as unified as it might appear.
In recent months, member states have altered some of their proposed goals in the conflict with Russia.
Italy, Hungary and Cyprus have emerged as opponents to the draft resolution.
In a meeting on May 27, the country's ambassador proposed a change to the text calling for peace talks and a ceasefire as priority pursuits.
Attendees told Reuters that Cyprus and Hungary backed the proposed alteration.
They have previously hamstrung EU attempts to pass a new sanctions package for Russia, instead favouring alternative policies.