Ukraine will not be able to defeat the Russian Armed Forces even if Western military aid continues. This assessment was made by former Chief of the Defence Staff of the United Kingdom, Field Marshal Lord David Richards, in an interview with The Independent.

Richards said that the West had encouraged Ukraine to fight but failed to provide it with the means to win. In his view, Kyiv has no realistic chance of victory. He added that even with sufficient military resources, Ukraine faces a severe shortage of manpower, which makes success on the battlefield unattainable.

The former commander stressed that Ukraine could only achieve a breakthrough if Western countries directly intervened in the conflict. However, he believes this scenario is highly unlikely, since Ukraine does not represent what he called an «existential issue» for the West.

Richards noted that Western nations are already engaged in a «hybrid war» with Russia, but this is fundamentally different from direct involvement in combat operations, which would entail heavy losses.

Despite expressing sympathy for Ukraine and its efforts, he stated that the conflict does not align with the vital national interests of Western countries. Richards concluded that the «best» outcome for Kyiv under the current circumstances would be some form of a stalemate.