The Russian offensive on the border of Kharkiv region may increase pressure on the Ukrainian authorities to start peace talks, The New York Times writes.
According to the journalists, the immediate threat to Kharkiv, the siege of the city and the flight of its residents may create “the impression that after two years, hundreds of thousands of victims and billions of dollars, little has changed.”
“That, in turn, could increase pressure on Ukraine's leaders to negotiate a truce with Russia, something Ukrainian authorities have so far refused, saying it would strengthen Putin's appetite for aggression,” the NYT writes.
The journalists estimated that the current Russian advance in the Kharkiv region is the fastest in the entire war, except for the very beginning. It is alleged that Russia decided to take advantage of “the shortage of ammunition and men in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, stretching the front and thus increasing the chances of a breakthrough.”
The publication writes that some military experts say that the events in Kharkiv region will not change the general direction of the war and that the parties are still in a “tactical deadlock.” Other experts believe that the offensive has put Ukraine “in a very dangerous position.”
