NATO thinks Russia does not have potential for major breakthrough on battlefield

General Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, believes that Russia does not currently have the military capability to make a major breakthrough on the front line in Ukraine.

As reported by Holos Ameryky (Voice of America), journalists asked Cavoli during a discussion on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos how the situation on the battlefield might develop in 2025. In response, he said that he was not worried that Ukraine could suddenly lose.

"I don't see the [Russian – ed.] potential for a massive breakdown or breakthrough. And that’s not a political, but a military judgement. And it’s got to do with both sides: the effective defences that the Ukrainians have been putting in, but also the difficulty that the Russian side has in generating significant offensive forces to be able to exploit a potential breakthrough," he explained.

Cavoli believes that this year will see many more small-scale offensives. He stressed that such incremental advances were exhausting for Russia.

"We’ve seen they are exhausting for Russia. There is a reason Russia brought thousands and thousands of soldiers from North Korea in to help fight," he said.

Cavoli also expects that there will continue to be "tension between a desire to advance and the shortage of manpower on the Russian side".

"I think that will define much of the conflict and will push the Russians to use a lot more stand-off weapons, as you’ve seen them increasingly do over the past years," Cavoli concluded.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about the possibility of ending the war in 2025.

However, Zelenskyy stressed that for this to happen, Ukraine must receive reliable security guarantees to strengthen its negotiating position with Russia.