Ukrainian forces have made dramatic advances on the battlefield, pushing the Russian army to retreat from several villages in the hard-hit northeastern Kharkiv region. This has enabled Ukraine to recapture about 2,000 square miles of territory from the invading Russian military and signals a potential turning point in the six-month-long war. But allies have been careful not to declare a premature victory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is vowing to continue the counterattack until his country reclaims all of its territory.
NJ Spotlight News discussed the latest developments with Alain Sanders, Professor Emeritus of political science at Saint Peter’s University. What recent Ukrainian successes show, he said, “is that Mr. Putin and his generals made some strategic miscalculations. They underestimated the resolve of the Ukrainians to defend their territory and their independence. They miscalculated the West’s response and the unity that the invasion would create among NATO allies.”
However, Sanders cautioned, “Mr. Putin is betting on the tiredness of the West. We tend to be an impatient group of nations and we like to see immediate results. So he is betting that, on the long term, the West will quietly abandon Ukraine. So these victories on the battlefield right now are important for raising the morale of the Ukrainians but also for raising the morale of the West as it heads into winter. And, particularly in Europe, that winter will mean some serious energy problems and shortages.”
