MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th January, 2023) A number of Western government officials have come to believe that time might be on Russia's side in the ongoing Ukraine conflict, in stark contrast with the sentiments they expressed last year, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Sunday.
According to the newspaper, last spring Western governments were convinced that the longer the hostilities went on, the more likely Kiev's victory was. However, this confidence had waned over the past months, the WSJ said.
Instead, there are now fears that Moscow may "gain the upper hand" in a so-called war of attrition. This line of reasoning reportedly underpins the West's decision to provide more advanced weaponry to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, some officials doubt that boosting military support to Kiev is a "realistic" way of achieving a faster end to the conflict, the newspaper said. There is also no certainty that Ukraine will be able to carry out offensive operations this year, similar to those in 2022.
Western countries have been ramping up their military support for Kiev since February 24, when Russia began a military operation in Ukraine, following calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. In April, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be "legitimate targets" for Russian forces.
