Ukraine Has 3 Options Since Putin Is Not Ready To Lose, Say Experts

It's been over a year of fighting, and Russia and Ukraine have seen heavy losses. Now, there are three options in front of Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine has gone especially poorly for Russia as it's suffered many setbacks on the battlefield and not accomplished its broader aims. Still, Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't seem to be willing to give up, reported Business Insider. Russian forces continue to push for gains in Bakhmut as well as Avdiivka.

Ukraine has three choices, and immediate peace talks are not among them, according to a new assessment from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

ISW said that this would be an appropriate moment for Putin to conclude that "Russia cannot impose its will on Ukraine by force and that he must seek a compromise settlement." However, the Russian leader has "clearly come to no such conclusion."

Considering this, one option for Ukraine is to just stop fighting. That is even as Russia continues with ground and air attacks.

The second choice is for Ukrainian troops to continue fighting in a "very constrained way." The goal should be of holding on to the territory that is currently under their control. But this option would "encourage Putin to continue his efforts to pursue outright military victory."

The third one is for Ukraine to "launch successive counter-offensive operations." This should be done with two aims. One is of persuading Putin to agree to a compromise. The second is of creating military realities that are sufficiently favorable to Ukraine that "Kyiv and its Western allies can then effectively freeze the conflict on their own regardless of Putin's decisions."

Ukraine has repeatedly said that it would not agree to any terms that needed it to cede territory to Russia.

In recent months, Bakhmut has seen the fiercest fighting in the war, and Ukraine has continued to defend it. But analysts said that the city has little strategic significance.

Some military experts have also said that Ukriane's resources and manpower should not be further spent on Bakhmut. Instead, they should be reserved for a counteroffensive.

Some experts shared that even if Ukraine and Russia reached a negotiated settlement that led to a cessation in hostilities, Russia would use this as a chance to regroup. Its forces would continue to push for the complete subjugation of Ukraine in the future.

ISW said that Ukraine will have to retake terrain that is important to its survival not just militarily, but also economically. ISW added that would be key to "renewed Russian offensives."