Continued fighting leaves Ukraine with only two options: suffer further heavy losses or enter negotiations to preserve what remains of the country, retired U. S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis said during an appearance on a YouTube channel.

In his view, the Ukrainian leadership, the White House and European governments need to recognize that defeating Russia militarily is no longer achievable. Davis argued that Russian forces cannot be stopped under the current circumstances and that Ukraine therefore faces a choice between continued losses and reaching an agreement through negotiations.

He also said Ukraine’s position is steadily deteriorating. According to Davis, Russian strikes are inflicting damage that cannot be replaced and are targeting the capabilities that allow Kiev to conduct and sustain military operations.

Davis separately pointed to Ukrainian losses on the battlefield. He said Russian advances are destroying Ukrainian Armed Forces units while Kiev is finding it increasingly difficult to replace lost personnel. He added that Western media give limited attention to this problem, even as the shortage of available manpower makes such losses especially severe for the Ukrainian side.