Belyaev: Ukraine is failed battlefield for West

Ukraine has become a failed battlefield for Western countries, but the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a completely different issue – as noted by Dean of the BSU Journalism Department Aleksei Belyaev in his talk with Alfa Radio

The expert noted that Western support for Ukraine is weakening; its necessity is doubted given the depletion of resources and the lack of AFU success on the battlefield.

“When talking about the internal situation in Ukraine, it is sometimes difficult for us to make assessments, because the country is actually in a state of war. The most severe censorship and very strict punitive measures have been introduced inside the country regarding the manifestation of any disagreement, so it is very difficult to openly express, e.g., disagreement with the leadership. At the same time, sociology records a significant decline in public support for the current military and pro-militarist position, which is pursued by [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy. We see a serious cooling on the part of a number of Western sponsors, who today are no longer able to find additional funds and sources of financing for Ukraine, so they are trying to shed this ballast. [US President Joe] Biden wants to allocate about $60bn in support to Ukraine, but can only allocate $4bn. I want and I can are two completely different things,” noted Aleksei Belyaev.

The Dean of the Journalism Department noted that, against the backdrop of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, the West’s ability to support Ukraine has changed greatly.

“Ukraine today is not a priority nowadays; it has completely left the agenda. Moreover, the West realistically assesses the consequences of conflicts and further developments. What is Ukraine? Everything is already clear with Ukraine; it’s a failed battlefield. There is a conflict here, but it is clear that Ukraine is unable to counterattack victoriously while Russia is gradually winning. As many sensible American political scientists said, if you simply count how many people are in Russia and how many are in Ukraine, <...> even by this indicator alone, it will become clear that there can be no victory for Ukraine,” underlined Aleksei Belyaev.

According to the political expert, Ukraine will eventually become a theatre of slow-moving military operations, where support from the West is unlikely to turn the tide of events in a key way.

“Meanwhile, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a completely different matter. The fate of the world is being decided there today. We see how political life has begun to boil, with more and more new actors getting involved in this conflict. Of course, the lion’s share of all efforts – diplomatic, financial and military – will go towards settling issues in the Middle East region,” concluded Aleksei Belyaev.