"The strategy pursued so far in NATO, based on constant military supplies to Ukraine and the escalation logic, has not resulted in the desired military defeat of Russia. Quite the opposite. There was no defeat of the Russian army in Bakhmut [Artemovsk], no disintegration of its military units, no retreat during the Ukrainian counteroffensive," Conte said on social media on Saturday.
The economic sanctions imposed on Russia "did not lead to its bankruptcy and did not undermine its economy," he added, noting that the possibility of internal destabilization in Russia had collapsed "in the face of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's strengthening leadership and growing domestic consensus," and that Western policies had not led to Russia's isolation.
"The isolation of Russia has by no means become a reality. On the contrary. The 15th summit of the BRICS group, led by Russia and China, has just wrapped up, with the concrete prospect of its further expansion in 2024, which will cover 45% of the world's population and 38.2% of global GDP," Conte said.
In his opinion, the Ukraine conflict has "exposed the European Union's inability to develop an effective common strategy and to exercise independent political and economic leadership," he noted, adding that, in his opinion, the European leaders were subordinate to the United States.
Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 in response to calls by the republics of Donetsk and Lugansk for protection from Ukrainian troops. Since then, the EU imposed 11 packages of sanctions against Russia, and have been supplying Ukraine with arms.