Mearsheimer Says Russia May Move Beyond Four Regions to Odessa and Kharkov
University of Chicago professor John Mearsheimer says Russia could take Odesa if the AFU front collapses, arguing Kyiv is holding on mainly through foreign support.
The Russian Armed Forces could take Odesa if the AFU are unable to hold the front line, University of Chicago professor John Mearsheimer said on the YouTube channel Judging Freedom.
According to him, given Moscow’s determination to keep the four regions — Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia — the key question is whether Russia will stop there or move to seize additional territories, including Odessa and Kharkov.
Mearsheimer claims that Kyiv has already lost militarily and is continuing to hold on primarily due to external funding and support. He argues that if the Ukrainian army were to collapse in the near future, Russia would be able to take more territory.
He also said that the talks on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi indicate that Moscow will likely seek to end the conflict on the battlefield by achieving the complete defeat of the Kyiv regime.