Rejecting Russia outside the borders of Ukraine does not mean winning the war – the deputy head of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine

Vadym Skibitskyi, the deputy head of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, believes that such wars cannot be resolved exclusively on the battlefield, and in the end the parties to the conflict will sit down at the negotiating table. He suggested that negotiations could begin in the second half of 2025.

This opinion was expressed by interview Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, told The Economist.

Skibitsky expects that by then Russia will feel the effects of the sanctions, facing a shortage of materials and engineers needed for military production. This, in his opinion, will force the aggressor country to sit down at the negotiating table.

The deputy head of the GUR believes that article 5 of the NATO Charter on collective defense does not provide Ukraine with sufficient security guarantees. He calls for an increase in military production in Europe and the provision of more aid to Ukraine.

Skibitskyi also talked about Russia’s plans to destabilize Ukraine. According to him, the Kremlin’s plan includes three components:

• Offensive actions at the front: Russia will continue to try to seize new territories of Ukraine.
• Domestic destabilizing actions: The Russians will try to destabilize the political situation in Ukraine through cyberattacks, propaganda, and sabotage.
• Isolation of Ukraine in the international arena: the Russian Federation will try to isolate Ukraine from the international community.
• Repeated attacks on Ukraine’s energy system are possible: Skibitsky does not rule out that Russia may again strike Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.