"We can't determine it." Washington talks peace negotiations on acceptable terms for Russia

"We can't determine it."

Washington talks :

peace negotiations on acceptable terms for Russia

US National Security Adviser Jake Salevan stressed that Washington could not find conditions for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine that would be acceptable to the Russian side.

On Friday :

Salevan told the Aspen Security Forum:

It is currently difficult to set the conditions for a credible peace that is acceptable to Russians, because in our view (the United States)

such a credible peace requires respect for the fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the provisions of the United Nations charters, which we all signed, including Russians

which stipulate that sovereignty and territorial integrity are protected rights.

He added :

These charters say that it is impossible to seize the neighbour's land by force.

In our view :

this must be a fundamental principle of peace between Russia and Ukraine. 

Salevan concluded by asking:

Can (Russian President)

Putin take all this with him to the negotiating table?

I cannot answer this question .

The U.S. :

National Security Adviser continued that ;

the United States will continue to defend this fundamental principle with allies

partners and Ukraine, and ultimately

Ukraine will decide whether or not to negotiate, when to negotiate, under what conditions, and for what purposes. We (the United States) will support them in this matter. "

Salevan concluded :

• In the meantime, it's about helping them

• get the most useful locations on the battlefield

• so that they have the most useful location

• at the negotiating table when they decide to sit there.

"Telegraph":

Ukrainian counter-attack fails and no easy solutions to save it

Expert Richard Kerem wrote:

"With no major breakthrough in six weeks, it is worth wondering whether Ukraine's counter-attack can ever work, because it certainly doesn't seem to be successful now."

The article continued :

"Compare slow but costly progress today

with blitzing victories in Kharkov and Jerson last fall.

At the time, Kiev's forces were advancing against the "enemy"

who was withdrawing to redeploy troops, replacing the space with time. After that the Russians have now strengthened their forces by mobilizing and digging large-scale defence lines, this time they will not go anywhere. "

The paper noted that

this left Ukraine with one option:

• Forward attacks against well-fortified defensive positions

• similar to the Western Front of the First World War

• where the trench lines continuously stretched from Switzerland to the sea

and neither side made a decisive breakthrough for four years.

She added that such an outcome today would make Kiev vulnerable to shifts in Western opinion, given the prospect of a Trump presidency or European fatigue, adding that Zelensky should be aware of this, and "may cause great panic."

The article stressed that the question to be asked was:

Are the Ukrainians prepared

militarily :

politically and financially :

1. to continue for months
2. possibly years
3. in these attacks

and to try to penetrate defensive belts similar to 1914-1918 from tank traps

barbed wire, minefields, bunkers and trench lines?.

The newspaper noted that :

the British Ministry of Defence described Russian fortifications as some of

the most comprehensive military defence systems, seen anywhere in the world.

The paper explained that the terrain in the south :

which currently appears to be Kiev's main effort

is often formed by open agricultural land

with few covered roads, making surprise, a critical factor for success in the war, almost impossible, and that lack of it exacerbates Kiev's inferiority of combat.

The article :

touched upon the Kiev forces' casualties in this attack

stating :

Ukraine is already losing a significant number in all military capability.

The acute shortage of armoured vehicles means that :

• Kiev is approaching this counter-attack with great caution.

• Several infantry tanks and combat vehicles provided

• by NATO during the initial reconnaissance attacks were destroyed

thus holding on to most of these assets to avoid further losses. This is understandable - but the Russians are likely to overcome a bold and coordinated attack with a heavy armour weapon ".

The newspaper continued :

What is the main problem?

Some in Kiev point to a lack of air support, highlighting the reluctance of Western partners to provide F-16s (despite Britain's already pledge to train pilots), but this will not solve Kiev's immediate dilemmas. "

The article added :

It takes months to train, and then months to transport aircraft.

Moreover :

as American General Mark Milley has already pointed out

"The Russians have 1,000 fourth-generation fighters.

If you are going to compete with Russia in the air :

you need a large number of 4th and 5th generation fighters. " We must realize two things: this is not possible in the present context, and air power is not a magic bullet anyway ".

The newspaper concluded that :

Ukraine's potential for recovery was due to its ability to complete forward attacks

while that :

strategy had been denounced at least since

the First World War by military theorists glorifying virtues.

"Indirect approach"

which progresses along less resistance lines to

disrupt the enemy balance before attacking weak frontline defences

but given Kiev's position

it "does not enjoy the privilege of philosophy.

In the meantime :

• the West must focus on providing the right practical equipment

• such as demining equipment to clear tracks of enemy obstacles

• cluster munitions and long-range ATACM missiles.

• it will require focusing on a dirty land war

• not high dreams, to bring about a change in balance.

Kiev forces fire more than 100 projectiles

including cluster bombs, at Pilgord in western Russia

The governor of the south :

western Russian province of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov

announced that Kiev forces had bombed the village of Goravlyovka with three cluster bombs fired from a rocket strike, among 100 shells that landed on the area.

In his Telegram channel :

he said that Kiev forces had shelled more than 100 areas of the province and fired 3 cluster bombs at the village of Goravlovka, which had also bombed them with marches.

US President Joe Biden announced :

the White House's decision at the beginning of this month

to supply Kiev with cluster munitions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted that

Washington had fallen into contradiction with itself

noting that the White House had earlier considered

the use of such munitions to be a crime.

Putin stressed that the Russian army has enough of

the various types of weapons to respond to this move.