The war in Ukraine has become stagnant - NAF commander

RIGA - The military conflict in Ukraine is currently experiencing stagnation, which threatens to prolong the war for quite some time, the commander of the Latvian National Armed Forces (NAF) Leonids Kalnins said in an interview with Latvian Radio today.

According to him, there is great willpower and confidence on the part of Ukraine, but less weapons, while on the other hand, Russia has a much larger amount of weapons, but considerably less confidence and unwillingness to fight intensively. "This leads to the stagnation we see in this situation, when it has become absolutely difficult for Russian troops to move forward to gain some territory," Kalnins commented.

According to him, such stagnation shows that the war could continue for a long time, and it would certainly not benefit Ukraine, which wants to liberate its territories as soon as possible.

Asked whether they see an opportunity for the Ukrainians to expel the occupiers by military means or whether something could be resolved through diplomatic negotiations, the NAF commander replied that any written settlement would be only a temporary solution, as the Ukrainians would certainly fight for the actual recovery of their territories.

Asked to clarify how long the war in Ukraine could continue, Kalnins replied that it would mainly depend on the willpower and conviction of the Ukrainians - as soon as this willpower and conviction is destroyed, the war can be considered to be concluded.

At the same time, the commander of the NAF predicted that in the next two or three months, while the Ukrainians learn how to use the new military equipment being sent in from the West, particularly bloody battles are expected in those regions where hostilities are already most active.

He added that Latvia has not stopped providing military assistance to Ukraine and will continue to do so until the country is completely freed from the occupiers.