The end is nigh for Ukraine and yet President Volodymyr Zelensky puts up a brave face while his men and women continue to die in numbers.
If the UN General Assembly 2026 is anything to go by, then European leaders want to call for a ceasefire instead of a much-needed, long-lasting peace agreement between not only Russia and Ukraine but also the entire EU/Nato.
Leader after leader has called on Russia to agree to a ceasefire so negotiations can commence but Russia, having fallen for such meaningless ceasefires, has emphatically said no.
There will be no reprieve for the enemy. There will be no space created to replenish weapons and ammunitions for Ukraine. There will be no negotiations unless it is about long-lasting peace in that part of the world.
Russian foreign Minister Serge Lavrov stated: “We had the Minsk Accords and you did not honour it. In fact, you never intended to, according to your own former leaders. Then there was the Istanbul Agreement, which was just about to be signed when former UK prime minister Boris Johnson scuppered that agreement. So, why should we now yet again demonstrate how stupid we are to agree to yet another such useless ceasefire and negotiations? It is not going to happen!”
I paraphrase but that was the gist of Lavrov’s message at the UN.
Why won’t the EU and Nato not see what is plainly obvious to the rest of the world? Ukraine is never going to win this war because it’s on life support from the collective West.
Russia has been independent throughout the war. It manufactures its own military equipment and its own munitions. Russia debt level is around $444-billion (R7.2-trillion) in comparison to the US’s $4-trillion, the UK’s $3.9-trillion and France’s $3.5-trillion. Ukraine stands at 101.2% debt-to-GDP, amounting to $213.2-billion.
If whistleblower Andrii Telizhenko is to be believed, then Ukraine has lost 2.5-million men since the start of the war, whereas Russia conservatively, according to some Western intelligence sources, has had around a million deaths. Another big difference, he says, is that Russia has plenty of people – men and women – who want to fight in the war, whereas Ukraine does not have such volunteers.
Ukraine is not an independent sovereign country. Its own military is beholden to the West for its budget, its industry, its weapons … everything. Russia does not require any outside assistance except for trading partners for its oil, gas and grain, among other commodities.
This does not suggest that there aren’t real challenges in Russia. The economy is taking a pounding, energy sources such as diesel and petrol are scarce, hence the long queues at petrol stations, and there are general disruptions.
But those are nothing compared to the suffering of ordinary Ukrainians.
In addition to the dire situation, Ukraine is effectively a landlocked country, with Russia having cut it off from its ports in the Black Sea. Russia has been targeting all port infrastructure, bombing and destroying it. It is also targeting all ships in the Black Sea, firing on them and in several cases, destroying some.
The message is that no one is allowed to do business with the Kiev regime. This is a major escalation and has effectively stopped imports and exports in and out of Ukraine.
With agricultural products nowhere to go, farmers must be very frustrated.
Ukraine’s economy is also in tatters. It is beholden to the EU for money to keep the state from total collapse. The country is asking for locomotives because Russia destroyed 500 of its locomotives.
How can anyone continue to justify this war? Ukraine is systematically being dismantled by the Russian Federation and European leaders continue to lie to us about Ukrainian resilience.
Two other matters need clarification. Russia is targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine because the collective West celebrated when Ukraine was targeting such infrastructure deep in Russia. Trains, bridges, schools and so much more.
Ukraine effectively now has no air defences, none.
Russia has the advantage and will certainly not agree to a ceasefire but continue to bomb Kiev and the frontlines to smithereens.
It seems Russia is saying the war will end on the battlefield and not in a boardroom. Hard lessons have been learnt.
• Dr Van Heerden is a senior research fellow at the Centre for African Diplomacy and Leadership at UJ
- President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to lead Ukraine amid heavy casualties as European leaders push for a ceasefire rather than a long-term peace agreement with Russia.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected ceasefire calls, citing past unfulfilled agreements like the Minsk Accords and Istanbul Agreement, and refusing further negotiations without lasting peace.
- Ukraine relies heavily on Western support for its military and economy, with significant debt and infrastructure damage, while Russia maintains independence in military production and supplies.
- The war has severely damaged Ukrainian port infrastructure and economy, effectively stopping exports and imports, and Ukraine is now landlocked and dependent on EU financial aid.
- Russia targets Ukrainian civilian infrastructure in retaliation for previous Ukrainian attacks on Russian targets, with Ukraine now lacking air defenses and Russia aiming to end the war militarily.
The end is nigh for Ukraine and yet President Volodymyr Zelensky puts up a brave face while his men and women continue to die in numbers.
If the UN General Assembly 2026 is anything to go by, then European leaders want to call for a ceasefire instead of a much-needed, long-lasting peace agreement between not only Russia and Ukraine but also the entire EU/Nato.
Leader after leader has called on Russia to agree to a ceasefire so negotiations can commence but Russia, having fallen for such meaningless ceasefires, has emphatically said no.
There will be no reprieve for the enemy. There will be no space created to replenish weapons and ammunitions for Ukraine. There will be no negotiations unless it is about long-lasting peace in that part of the world.
Russian foreign Minister Serge Lavrov stated: “We had the Minsk Accords and you did not honour it. In fact, you never intended to, according to your own former leaders. Then there was the Istanbul Agreement, which was just about to be signed when former UK prime minister Boris Johnson scuppered that agreement. So, why should we now yet again demonstrate how stupid we are to agree to yet another such useless ceasefire and negotiations? It is not going to happen!”
I paraphrase but that was the gist of Lavrov’s message at the UN.
Why won’t the EU and Nato not see what is plainly obvious to the rest of the world? Ukraine is never going to win this war because it’s on life support from the collective West.
Russia has been independent throughout the war. It manufactures its own military equipment and its own munitions. Russia debt level is around $444-billion (R7.2-trillion) in comparison to the US’s $4-trillion, the UK’s $3.9-trillion and France’s $3.5-trillion. Ukraine stands at 101.2% debt-to-GDP, amounting to $213.2-billion.
If whistleblower Andrii Telizhenko is to be believed, then Ukraine has lost 2.5-million men since the start of the war, whereas Russia conservatively, according to some Western intelligence sources, has had around a million deaths. Another big difference, he says, is that Russia has plenty of people – men and women – who want to fight in the war, whereas Ukraine does not have such volunteers.
Ukraine is not an independent sovereign country. Its own military is beholden to the West for its budget, its industry, its weapons … everything. Russia does not require any outside assistance except for trading partners for its oil, gas and grain, among other commodities.
This does not suggest that there aren’t real challenges in Russia. The economy is taking a pounding, energy sources such as diesel and petrol are scarce, hence the long queues at petrol stations, and there are general disruptions.
But those are nothing compared to the suffering of ordinary Ukrainians.
In addition to the dire situation, Ukraine is effectively a landlocked country, with Russia having cut it off from its ports in the Black Sea. Russia has been targeting all port infrastructure, bombing and destroying it. It is also targeting all ships in the Black Sea, firing on them and in several cases, destroying some.
The message is that no one is allowed to do business with the Kiev regime. This is a major escalation and has effectively stopped imports and exports in and out of Ukraine.
With agricultural products nowhere to go, farmers must be very frustrated.
Ukraine’s economy is also in tatters. It is beholden to the EU for money to keep the state from total collapse. The country is asking for locomotives because Russia destroyed 500 of its locomotives.
How can anyone continue to justify this war? Ukraine is systematically being dismantled by the Russian Federation and European leaders continue to lie to us about Ukrainian resilience.
Two other matters need clarification. Russia is targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine because the collective West celebrated when Ukraine was targeting such infrastructure deep in Russia. Trains, bridges, schools and so much more.
Ukraine effectively now has no air defences, none.
Russia has the advantage and will certainly not agree to a ceasefire but continue to bomb Kiev and the frontlines to smithereens.
It seems Russia is saying the war will end on the battlefield and not in a boardroom. Hard lessons have been learnt.
• Dr Van Heerden is a senior research fellow at the Centre for African Diplomacy and Leadership at UJ
