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
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two were martyred in an initial toll of the Israeli drone strike that targeted the al-Asira neighborhood in the city of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli drone strike targeted the al-Asira neighborhood east of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are the greatest resistance. Know that 'Israel' will fall because it embodies aggression, crime, and occupation; victory is truly yours
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: The value of what you are doing despite your wounds is immense, and here you are, treading the path of the Master of Nation's Martyrs and the leaders
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are moving forward with insight deeper than sight itself. The enemy sought to eliminate your role in the battle, yet you remain steadfast and continue the fight
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors one year later: You are healing from your wounds and rising above them. You have successfully passed the test
Palestinian media: Reports of stabbing operation in occupied al-Quds.
Israeli media: Sirens blare in Arava in South, near Ramon Airport.
Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouli: Egypt is targeted in plans to redraw regional map
AEOI Chief Mohammad Eslami: Our presence in IAEA General Council and fact-checking helped in preventing unilateral rhetoric that aims to portray Iran as an unregulated country

Time may be on Russia's side in Ukraine, say Western officials: WSJ

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 29 Jan 2023 21:12
  • 4 Shares
4 Min Read

Western officials are becoming more pessimistic as Russia pushes further into Ukraine, with several of them saying Russia has the upper hand.

  • x
  • The Utter Disconnect between 'Realities'
    A frame from a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry in January, 2023 showing Msta-B 152 mm self-propelled howitzers firing in the Donetsk region (Russian Defense Ministry)

Various Western officials are now asserting that time might be on Russia's side in the ongoing Ukraine war, diverging completely from their assertions last year, when they were claiming the opposite, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

According to the newspaper, Western governments were convinced last spring that the longer the war went on, the more likely Kiev was to win. The WSJ noted, however, that this confidence was tanking.

The general sentiment current is quite the contrary, as the officials in question now fear that Moscow might be able to "gain the upper hand" in the war, though the WSJ argued that this line of reasoning served as a supporting argument for the West's decision to continue pumping arms into Ukraine.

Concurrently, certain officials do not believe that increasing the flow of arms into Ukraine would be a "realistic" way of expediting the war and reaching its culmination, the newspaper said. Additionally, it is being argued that Ukraine would not be able to carry out offensives in 2023 similar to those in 2022.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg claimed in December that Moscow was preparing to prolong the war in Ukraine and warned that Russia should not be underestimated.

Despite the general sentiment in question, Politico reported earlier in the day that a group of US military officials is quietly lobbying for sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Recently, Kiev has renewed its request for modern fighters. A senior Ukrainian official confirmed Saturday that Ukraine and its Western allies were engaged in "fast-track" talks on possible long-range missiles and military aircraft deliveries.

The campaign for F-16s to Ukraine is gaining momentum in the Pentagon, while Kiev is bracing for a planned offensive this spring, the newspaper said.

Related News

Syria's al-Sharaa: Security deal with 'Israel' is a necessity

US Federal Reserve lowers interest rates for first time in 2025

A senior Pentagon official told Politico he did not think the US Department of Defense (DoD) was opposed to the idea, noting that there was no final decision on the possible supplies yet. Meanwhile, Ukraine should clearly indicate that F-16 fighter jets are "its top priority," the source said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that the West must provide Kiev with jets and long-range missiles in order to help the fight against Russia.

Zelensky stressed that his country needs jets to be able to repel Russia's forces. "This is a dream. And this is a task," he said.

His statement came directly after the United States and Germany announced that they will send their most advanced main battle tanks to Ukraine, the US-made M1A2 Abrams and the Leopard 2.

Read next: More European countries to join Germany in sending tanks to Ukraine

Meanwhile, a Newsweek report that came out earlier in Tuesday said the United States and NATO could not afford a loss for Ukraine in the war.

the former head of Ukraine’s National Defense and Security, Oleksandr Danylyuk, told Newsweek that Russia made a strategic mistake by launching its military operation against Ukraine, saying it was facing a large "international coalition" that is counting on Ukraine's victory.

The former national security chief expressed Kiev’s constant worry that the West will eventually “get tired”, but until now, they have not reached that point, he added.

"We are always thinking from the perspective that maybe the West will get tired,” he said, adding however that "so far, they're not getting tired, they're actually committing more and more to Ukraine. Russia also expected that the West would get tired, but so far there is no sign of this.”

"The worst case scenario for the West would be to commit support and then end up losing the war. Because of the political commitment of Western leaders, they cannot afford for Ukraine to lose," he added.

  • United States
  • Nato
  • Leopard II
  • Russia
  • Abrams Tanks
  • Ukraine
  • European Union
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

Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza.

Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza

  • Politics
  • 12 Sep 2025
A screengrab from the ad played on Fox News. (X Screengrab)

Fox airs ad warning Trump not to let Netanyahu 'play' him on Gaza

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025
Lapid: Egypt’s Arab Force plan a 'severe blow' to normalization

Lapid: Egypt’s Arab Force plan a 'severe blow' to normalization

  • Palestine
  • 14 Sep 2025
UKLFI’s latest faux pas, like "Israel’s" recent failed attempt at regime change in Iran, is unambiguously indicative of a flailing entity on the verge of extinction. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

Zionist lawfare operation facing collapse?

  • Opinion
  • 13 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
A Hezbollah supporter who lost his sight in a pager attack carried out by "Israel" on Sept. 17, 2024, covers his eyes with a red headband inscribed with the name "Hussein" during Ashoura, July 6, 2025 (AP)
Politics

'We Have Recovered': Lebanon marks 1st anniversary of Pager Attack

The Arab neighborhood of El Za'im, on the outskirts of east Occupied Al-Quds in the West Bank, near where Israeli government says housing units will be built as part of the E1 settlement project, Thursday, August 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Palestine

'Israel’s' deliberate policies drive West Bank economy toward collapse

Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Politics

Ben & Jerry’s co-founder resigns over parent company curbing activism

Trump’s approval rating falls to new low in second term: Poll
US & Canada

Trump’s approval rating falls to new low in second term: Poll

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