Ukraine has no chance to win the war only on the battlefield – GUR

The representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Vadim Skibitsky, said that he sees no way for Ukraine to win the war only on the battlefield. A Ukrainian intelligence representative said this on Thursday, May 2, in an interview with The Economist.

According to him, even if the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to push the Russian troops back to the 1991 borders, it would not end the war.

Skibitsky said both sides are trying to put themselves in the “most favorable position” ahead of potential negotiations. But meaningful negotiations may not begin until the second half of 2025, he believes.

“During that time, Russia will face serious headwinds. Russia’s military production capacity has expanded, but will reach a plateau in early 2026 due to shortages of materials and engineers. Both sides may face eventually the lack of weapons,” the material said.

According to Skibitsky, the most uncertain factor in the war was Europe.

“If Ukraine’s neighbors do not find a way to further increase defense production to help Ukraine, they too will ultimately find themselves in Russia’s crosshairs,” he emphasized.

The GUR representative noted that Ukraine’s courage and self-sacrifice gave Europe a multi-year head start, eliminating the immediate threat from the once-feared Russian troops and marines for at least decades.

“The question now is whether Europe will thank us by leaving Ukraine in the game. We want to live. The GUR representative emphasized.