NATO: Continued military support for Ukraine will impact Russia's capabilities

Russia has lost over 700,000 soldiers, either killed or wounded, since the beginning of the large-scale Russian-Ukrainian war. NATO believes that ongoing military support for Ukraine will strengthen its position in future negotiations.

Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, the new Chair of the NATO Military Committee, said in an interview with ArmyInform, a Ukrainian military news outlet, that Russia has lost over 700,000 soldiers either killed or wounded since February 2022. Additionally, thousands of tanks, armoured vehicles and aircraft have been destroyed, and the Russian fleet has been pushed out of much of the Black Sea.

He went on to say that despite these losses, Russia was continuing its aggression with support from North Korea, Iran and China, but in the long run, it would be difficult for Russia to ignore such high casualties.

The admiral believes that continued military support for Ukraine will further weaken Russia’s military capacity and strengthen Ukraine’s position in future negotiations.

He said that the focus must be on supporting the end of the war to ensure Ukraine can enter any negotiations from a position of strength. 

Cavi Dragone also highlighted that Ukraine’s strikes on Russian military targets are disrupting logistics, weakening Russia’s ability to carry out further attacks, and forcing Moscow to divert more resources to defence.

He added that although these strikes alone cannot end the war, they are causing significant damage to Russia, as their targets include fuel depots, air bases, and ammunition supplies. 

Recently, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the main focus would be on discussing security guarantees during his meeting with US President Donald Trump.

On 5 February, Trump said that Russia could have lost "800,000, or possibly more" soldiers as a result of its aggression.