Dina Mahmoud, Agencies (London)
Yesterday, Russia announced new field gains against the Ukrainian army, two days before the second anniversary of the start of the Russian attack.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated, in its daily report, that its forces took control of the small village of Pobeda, located near the town of Mariinka, five kilometers west of the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry said that units of the Southern Group, on the Donetsk front, took control of the village of Pobeda and improved their positions along the front line.
She explained that the Russian army improved its positions in the same area around the villages of Novomikhilievka and Krasnogorivka, located near the town of Mariinka, which Russia took control of in December.
The front line has not witnessed major changes in this region since the Russian army took control of Mariinka. The Ukrainian army has not yet confirmed the loss of Pobeda, only indicating that it is fighting battles “in the region.”
The commander of the Ukrainian forces in the region, Oleksandr Tarnavsky, said on Telegram that the defense forces, in the Mariinka region, continue to repel Russian forces in Georgievka, Pobeda and Novomikhielivka.
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced control of the town of Krynki, on the bank of the Dnipro River, where the Ukrainian army was able to establish a bridgehead in very difficult circumstances in October, with a rare advance after the failure of the counterattack it launched in the summer. For its part, the Ukrainian army denied on Wednesday that it had lost control of the Kryniki bridgehead. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said via Telegram yesterday, “Our naval forces firmly hold the beachhead.”
On the other hand, Zelensky admitted last Monday that the Ukrainian army is currently in a “very difficult” situation on the front line.
As the Ukrainian crisis entered its third year, and diplomatic paths faltered, a study conducted by a research and studies center in the United States confirmed that negotiations are still the best way to turn the page on this thorny issue.
A research paper issued by the center, which bears the name “Quincy Institute for Responsible Governance,” stressed that a political settlement is still possible, especially since achieving this goal will be in the interest of the various parties concerned with that file.
The study's authors, George Bibby, director of the Center's Department of Grand Strategic Affairs, and Anatole Levin, who is responsible for European and Asian affairs, called for developing a gradual framework for negotiations aimed at finding a diplomatic solution to the current conflict, and for any potential discussions regarding it to be comprehensive, so that they address the security, economic, and humanitarian aspects of the crisis. , without being limited to its political dimension.
According to the research paper, other major active powers must be involved in the upcoming negotiations on the Ukrainian crisis alongside Western countries, in order for this diplomatic path to lead to a sustainable settlement of the conflict, reduce the risks of its renewal, and enhance stability in Europe and the world, after he led two years ago. From now, until the outbreak of the largest crisis on the European continent in many decades.
The study warned that failure to acknowledge the facts of the crisis in its current stage entails what its author described as “serious risks” that threaten the future of Ukraine, and also threaten the strategic interests of the United States, which requires the American administration to strive to achieve peace and bring the two sides of the confrontation back to the table. Negotiation, even if this contradicts prevailing opinion, in some political and analytical circles in Washington.
The research paper, excerpts of which were published on the American news website New Jersey Today, considered that resuming the negotiating process constitutes “the best possible way to protect Ukraine’s security and sovereignty,” especially since the chances of the Kiev government and its forces achieving any territorial gains on the battlefield have become “ Insignificant from a practical point of view.
At the beginning of this week, the Ukrainian army announced the withdrawal of its forces from the destroyed town of Avdiivka in the east of the country, after months of fierce fighting with Russian forces, which may pave the way for the largest Russian field advance on the ground since the seizure of the city of Bakhmut, in May of last year. .
The study, titled “The Diplomatic Path to a Safe Ukraine,” indicated the possibility that the continued provision of US military aid to the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which is what Kiev’s supporters in decision-making institutions in Washington are calling for, will be accompanied by what was described as a “strong diplomatic attack.” “And active,” in which the influence that the United States enjoys is exploited in getting the two parties to the crisis to return to direct negotiations, thanks to the incentives it has that it can provide in this regard.
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