Photo: Global Look Press
Published by Time Magazine an article in which he urged her not to allow “too big” a victory for Ukraine. “Putin shouldn't win, but Zelenskiy shouldn't win too much,” reads the title of the article.
“Who wants to die for Kyiv? Or freeze while Russia cuts gas supplies to Europe?… Ukrainian victories could provoke boundless Russian revenge, whatever the cost,” the article reads.
Also, the reality on the battlefield “may not be for Kyiv advantage.”
“When the Russians retreat to fortified positions, they will take advantage of their short 'inner lines'. It is more difficult to dislodge an entrenched power than to outwit intruders in the open. “A 3-to-1 manpower advantage is typically required to overcome tank traps, bunkers and protected artillery at a distance,” Time writes.
For these reasons, the publication believes that US President Biden is urging Zelensky to start talking to Putin.”
“Of course the president didn't “tell the Ukrainians what to do.” But the implication is hard to miss. Limiting a client is what great powers do to avoid a deadly conflict, in this case with by a ferocious Russian adversary backed by an outsized arsenal of lethal weapons.
Asked what if the West did this, Time concludes: “Crimea is probably lost to Ukraine. But recognition of further conquests…would embolden Putin.” At the global level, other ambitious revisionists such as China and Iran are following suit,” the publication concludes.