Reports are now ticking in that Russian forces are being repulsed in several places in Ukraine, and Ukrainian spokesmen claim that the Russians are withdrawing in several cities.
General and Norway’s former Chief of Defense, Sverre Diesen, is not surprised.
– It seems to apply in several places and it is probably just a confirmation of what we have seen for a while, namely that the Russians do not seem to be able to have more progress in the ground operations, he says to TV 2.
– NOT SURPRISED: The former chief of defense, Sverre Diesen, is not surprised that there are reports that Russian forces have been repulsed. Photo: Frode Sunde / TV 2
–
He points to several signs of weakness from the Russian forces recently.
– Partly they dig down where they stand, and partly they retreat. In part, we receive messages confirming that morale and discipline are poor, and in some places the Ukrainians go on the counterattack, albeit on a smaller scale, but still.
Believes there are two different wars going on
Diesen says this confirms that there are now two different wars: One on the ground and one in the air.
– A ground war like the Russians actually, if not about to lose, then at least not win.
In order to resist air strikes, the former chief of defense believes that Ukraine desperately needs weapons that can handle it.
– What now becomes important to keep the Ukrainians inside the war, is firstly to give them the weapons they need to continue to stop the Russians on the ground, but they must also get what they need to stop the Russian bombing and offensive which is carried by artillery, aircraft and the type of weapons.
– This means that I think the West must now consider very seriously giving the Ukrainians, for example, the fighter jets they have requested from Poland. And the large air defense systems that Greece and Bulgaria, among others, have and that the Ukrainians know and can use.
Also read: Expert about what met Putin: – It has shocked him
– Not just a question of Ukraine
Diesen is aware that such arms support will be a completely different threat to the Russians, and that there will be a clear escalation in support from the West.
– But I think we should take into account that it is not just a question of Ukraine. It is fundamental in the West’s own security interest that Russia loses this war.
– MAYOR: Here is Vitaly Klitschko on Skype with TV 2 from Kyiv. Photo: Geir Johnny Huneide / TV 2
–
In an exclusive interview with TV 2 on Thursday, the mayor of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko said that Europeans must understand that Ukraine is fighting for the whole of Europe, not just for itself.
He also thanked for the support they experience from both Norway and a number of other countries. At the same time, like President Volodymyr Zelensky, he asked for more help from NATO to strike back against Russia.
– When it gets really dangerous
– Is it urgent that Russia loses this war?
– Yes, absolutely, Diesen answers.
– Will not this lead to the West and NATO becoming an active party in the war, and that there will be a major war between Russia and NATO?
– I do not think so, but of course that is what Putin wants us to believe. And that the agreement in NATO will burst precisely in the fear that this will be a war between Russia and the West.
Also read: Rumors are swirling about Putin: – He is sitting in a bunker
Diesen believes that Russia has so much to lose in such a major war, that he does not think that threat is real.
– But it is clear that it is very dangerous if Putin does not believe that the West is serious. And we will think about that a bit when we consider whether we should give the Ukrainians these weapons. If we let Russia win, which is really the alternative, then it will be really dangerous to be the West.
Diesen believes it will be seen as a kind of invitation for Putin.
– It will be a clear invitation to Putin that his view of the West is the right one. Namely that the vests are cowardly, weak, decadent, and that they do not dare.
– And it is a clear invitation when he has finished with Ukraine, to move on to the Baltics or somewhere else. So when we consider the danger of stepping up support in Ukraine, we should not only consider it, but we should consider the alternative, which is the danger of letting the Russians win.
–
