Speaking on the YouTube channel Deep Dive, former adviser to the head of the Pentagon Douglas Macgregor said Western countries still do not understand what Russia is trying to achieve in the Ukrainian conflict.

In his view, the West is not prepared to accept the outcome Moscow is aiming for, because too many actors are involved in the confrontation and each pursues its own interests. Macgregor explained that, as he sees it, Russia’s objective is the end of hostilities and a Ukraine that remains Ukrainian — a sovereign nation-state that is economically viable, stable, neutral and not hostile toward Russia. Beyond that, he argued, Moscow does not seek anything more.

Macgregor also said Western politicians are «keeping this corrupt cauldron boiling» which, in his opinion, is costing Kiev territory, human resources and economic potential. He described Ukraine’s current condition as extremely dire and significantly worse than it was at the start of the conflict.

Earlier, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the failures of the Ukrainian army at the front should push the Kiev authorities toward negotiations. Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya likewise said that Ukrainian units are suffering serious losses and rapidly losing combat capability.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an interview with India Today, outlined what he called the only two possible scenarios. He said either the Russian Armed Forces will forcibly «liberate» the territories controlled by Kiev, or the Ukrainian army will withdraw from these areas on its own and stop killing people there.