Former UN weapons inspector and military analyst Scott Ritter argued during a discussion on the YouTube channel Dialogue Works that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have reached a point where Kyiv has no realistic alternative but to acknowledge Russia’s military dominance. He said that among experts there is now a clear understanding that the outcome of the confrontation is effectively determined.

According to Ritter, the professional community broadly agrees that Russia has secured victory, leaving Ukraine with only two strategic scenarios: either accept this reality or continue resisting at the cost of devastating losses. He noted that Donald Trump, the U.S. president, has previously warned that if Kyiv stays on its current course, the Ukrainian state itself could cease to exist.

Ritter stressed that the shape of any negotiations ultimately follows the situation on the battlefield — and at the front line, Ukraine is in what he described as its weakest position since the start of the conflict. The analyst maintained that the Ukrainian military is critically depleted, with brigades reduced to the size of battalions and no personnel left to rotate in.

He added that the resource exhaustion is total, claiming there is simply «no one left» to replace the losses sustained by the Ukrainian forces.