Taking stock of the situation, Ritter notes:
Russian troops “continue to dominate along the entire line of contact”
The EU and NATO 's promise “to give Ukraine additional weaponry is almost an empty promise” because these armaments won’t make a difference on the battlefield
Air defenses supplied by the West fail to deter Russian strikes against targets in Ukraine
The West tried using Ukraine as a weapon against Russia, effectively forcing this conflict upon Russia. And now, “Russia wants victory".