podcast
Ukraine – the situation
Military expert Masala: Why Russia might reconsider its war strategy
Russian President Vladimir Putin
© Andrei Gorshkov/Pool Sputnik Kremlin/AP/DPA
Will Russia continue to escalate the Ukraine war – or head for a negotiated solution? According to military expert Carlo Masala, President Putin could reconsider his war strategy.
According to military expert Carlo Masala, Russian President Vladimir Putin could reconsider his war strategy in Ukraine and ultimately head for a negotiated solution. Masala said on Thursday in starPodcast “Ukraine – the situation”: “From a Russian perspective, the question arises: what do we gain by continuing the war.”
Masala does not expect any immediate or rapid results from the talks between the warring parties’ foreign ministers, which begin today. But they “could be the beginning of a process that might end with a solution.”
Carolo Masala: Little hope for a quick end to the fighting
The Ukrainian side cleverly dismissed the demand for NATO membership. The Russian side is no longer talking about denazification and demilitarization of the neighboring country. Even if the differences are still huge, according to the analysis by the professor at the Bundeswehr University in Munich, there is always a chance of a negotiated solution if both sides see no advantages in continuing the war. “In the end, Putin will achieve some of his military goals; politically he has already lost the war,” said Masala. “The more Ukraine sees that it is losing, the more ready it is to make concessions.”
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dr Carlo Masala is Professor of International Politics at the Bundeswehr University in Munich.
He has little hope that the fighting can be stopped quickly. In negotiations, solutions are always sought based on the military situation – so that the parties are trying to gain advantages by continuing the fighting. Incorrect information is being used on all sides. “We are poking around in a fog of war,” he said. “It is becoming increasingly difficult to get a clear picture of military combat operations.”