Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
White House: Trump called on al-Sharaa to "tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria, deport Palestinian terrorists, help US prevent resurgence of ISIS, assume responsibility for ISIS detention centers in northeast Syria."
White House says Trump called on Al-Sharaa to join normalization accords with "Israel".
Israeli media, citing officials: Despite the Israeli plea, Donald Trump announced lifting sanctions on Syria
Anadolu: Turkish President Erdogan, US President Trump, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, and Syria's Sharaa hold online meeting.
YAF spokesperson Yahya Saree: Missile on Lod [Ben Gurion] airport is third in less than 24 hours, it achieved its target successfully.
YAF spokesperson: YAF's Missile Force targeted Ben Gurion airport with hypersonic missile.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 60 martyrs in Israeli strikes on six homes in Gaza since this morning.
IOF says missile launched from Yemen toward "Israel", air defense systems currently working to intercept it.
Macron says Israeli PM's measures on Gaza 'unacceptable' and 'shameful'
Yemeni Armed Forces: Companies that have not announced the suspension of their flights should follow in the footsteps of those who did, suspending flights to airports in occupied Palestine

Mearsheimer: Hardly any chance for Ukraine counteroffensive success

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Grayzone
  • 31 Jul 2023 14:23
4 Min Read

In an interview with Pushback, John Mearsheimer American realpolitik academic likens the Ukrainian counteroffensive to suicide such that it has a slim chance of winning at best.

  • x
  • Photo of destroyed/Disabled Ukrainian military equipment on the Zaporozhye front published by the Russian military, July 2023 (Telegram: WarGonzo)
    Photo of destroyed/Disabled Ukrainian military equipment on the Zaporozhye front published by the Russian military, July 2023 (Telegram: WarGonzo)

“It seems to me that anybody who knows anything about military tactics and strategy had to understand that there was hardly any chance that the Ukrainian counteroffensive would succeed,” American political scientist John Mearsheimer said in an interview transcribed by The Grayzone.

Mearsheimer expressed his surprise at the West's encouragement for the Ukrainians' counteroffensive, which he compared to a suicide attack that would lead to counterproductive results.

It made more sense for the Ukrainians to remain on the defensive at least for the time being, he added. Inferring the West's line of reasoning, Mearsheimer argued that the West is very afraid of running out of time, so if the Ukrainians do not achieve some remarkable gains on the battlefield in 2023, popular support for the war will dry up which would then devolve into ascertained defeat. He added that the West pressed hard for this attack, knowing that the chances for its success were at best slim. 

Furthermore, Mearsheimer predicted that the war would stretch out for a long time. Even if a peace agreement was reached soon, he reckons that it would be shortlived. 

Mearsheimer stressed that he finds it difficult to imagine the United States, or any Western European country, agreeing to include Ukraine in NATO since bringing Ukraine into NATO in the midst of a war obliges NATO to defend Ukraine by military force, which the West does not want.

The long-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive was launched on June 4, on wide axes south of Donetsk, Zaporozhye, and Artyomovsk, with the main attack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces focused on the Zaporozhye sector south towards Crimea.

Read more: Putin says Ukrainian counteroffensive failed, Ukraine lost 26k troops

Last week, Bild newspaper reported, citing a confidential German intelligence assessment, that Ukraine's counter-offensive is facing challenges due to poor execution of tactics.

Related News

How the US lost its place as the world’s manufacturing powerhouse: WSJ

IRS sounds alarm after DOGE seeks access to sensitive taxpayer data

The leaked German documents assess that the Ukranian forces are only partially implementing the training directives received from their Western allies. 

According to the report, Kiev's troops are spreading themselves too thin along the 1,000-kilometer front line and launching attacks with units composed of very few soldiers.

The leaked document highlights that Ukrainian soldiers trained by Western countries have shown significant improvement, but their efforts are hindered by commanders who lack the same level of training and experience.

The Ukrainian military reportedly favors promoting soldiers with combat experience over those who have received NATO-standard instruction, leading to "considerable deficiencies in leadership" and, consequently, "wrong and dangerous decisions."

The German assessment criticizes the practice of attacking in small units consisting of only 10 to 30 soldiers, which it deems insufficient to break through Russian lines effectively. This approach not only risks friendly fire but also fails to capitalize on the collective strength of Western-trained troops.

The leaked assessment criticizes the Ukrainian army for not fully integrating their Western training into the structure of their officer corps.

Equivocally on the other side of the sponsor-proxy relation, the commander of Ukraine's army, General Valery Zaluzhny, has expressed frustration with Western pressure to attack at a faster pace. 

Moreover, some Ukrainian soldiers reportedly feel pressured to make sacrifices without adequate weaponry to protect them, such as F-16 jets and long-range ATACMS missiles.

Read next: US losing hegemon status as war in Ukraine unfolds

  • USA
  • counteroffensive
  • Russia
  • Ukraine
Russia & NATO

Russia & NATO

As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?

Most Read

Trump cut off contact with Netanyahu, senior Israeli official says

Trump cut off contact with Netanyahu: Israeli media

  • US & Canada
  • 9 May 2025
Saree

Yemeni Armed Forces target key Israeli sites, USS Truman

  • MENA
  • 7 May 2025
A boy draped in a Palestinian flag carries a mock rocket during a weekly anti-US and anti-Israeli rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, May 9, 2025 (AP)

Yemen announces hypersonic missile strike on Ben Gurion Airport

  • Politics
  • 9 May 2025
President Donald Trump, left, greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Washington (AP)

US pressures 'Israel' for Gaza deal; Witkoff's Israeli rebuke leaked

  • US & Canada
  • 9 May 2025

Coverage

All
Gaza prevails against genocide

Read Next

All
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer with his wife Victoria make their way through supporters as they arrive at the count for the Holborn and St Pancras Parliamentary constituency where the Starmer is standing for election, in London, Friday, July 5, 2024 (AP)
Politics

UK Labour MPs urge government to recognize Palestine

Israeli exodus: 60,000 Israelis fled last year without return
Politics

Israeli exodus: 60,000 settlers fled last year on one-way tickets

Hollywood actors condemn Gaza violence days before Cannes Festival
Arts and Culture

350+ Hollywood actors condemn Gaza genocide ahead of Cannes Festival

Likud minister calls Trump as ‘unpredictable,’ unreliable
Palestine

Likud minister rebukes Trump, calls him 'unpredictable', unreliable

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS