"It will not end on the battlefield": DIU representative on the outcome of the war in Ukraine

Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, believes that the war in Ukraine cannot end on the battlefield. In his opinion, even if the Defense Forces managed to push the Russians back to their borders, it would not end the war.

Such wars end with negotiations and treaties, Skibitskyi told The Economist. Right now, he said, both sides are fighting for the "most favorable position" before potential negotiations.

At the same time, the intelligence official believes that meaningful talks can begin no earlier than the second half of 2025. By then, Moscow will face serious "headwinds." Skibitskyi stated thata although Russia's military production capacity has increased, it will reach a plateau by early 2026 due to a lack of materials and engineers.

Eventually, both sides may be left without weapons, he predicted.

Skibitskyi emphasized that if Ukraine's neighbors do not find a way to further increase defense production to help Kyiv, they will eventually be in Russia's crosshairs too.

"The Russians will capture the Baltic States in seven days. NATO's reaction time is ten days," the DIU representative said.

He added that Ukraine's bravery and sacrifice have given Europe a multi-year head start, eliminating the immediate threat of Russia's airborne troops and marines, which had been causing fear for at least a decade.

Now, according to Skibitskyi, the question is whether Europe will return the favor by "keeping Ukraine in the game."

"We will continue to fight. We have no choice. We want to live. But the outcome of the war depends not only on us," he summarized.

As reported earlier, Skibitskyi said that Russia will try to implement a plan to destabilize the situation in our country, which consists of three levels, in May. This plan includes a military part, a disinformation campaign against Kyiv, and attempts to isolate the country in the international arena.

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