The Russian military is getting close to taking two major Ukrainian strongholds in southern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, Kurakhove and Velyka Novosilka. The Russians have been taking 100s of miles of Ukrainian territory since this summer. The Ukrainians are now facing the reality that they must make peace negotiations with Russia. Andrii Biletskyi, the commander of the Third Assault Brigade, one of Ukraine’s top fighting units, told the newspaper Ukrainska Pravda: “This is indeed the most difficult situation in almost three years of war”. As we read in the New York Times:

Russian forces are closing in on two strongholds. The fall of the cities could pave the way for a takeover of the southern part of the Donetsk region, analysts said.

Russian troops in eastern Ukraine have seized at least 10 villages and settlements in roughly as many days, according to a group with ties to the Ukrainian Army that maps the battlefield, as Moscow presses on with slow but steady advances that have heightened pressure on Ukraine’s authorities to start cease-fire talks.

The situation looks particularly precarious for Ukrainian forces in Donetsk, in Ukraine’s east, where Russian forces are closing in on their last two strongholds in the southern part of the region, according to the analysis by the group, DeepState. The fall of the strongholds, Kurakhove and Velyka Novosilka, could pave the way for a Russian takeover of the area, experts say.

Russia, which annexed Donetsk in 2022 and controls about two-thirds of the region, is seeking to consolidate power over the whole territory.

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“This is indeed the most difficult situation in almost three years of war,” Andrii Biletskyi, the commander of the Third Assault Brigade, one of Ukraine’s top fighting units, told the newspaper Ukrainska Pravda last week, referring to the overall state of the battlefield.

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Nevertheless, concerned about their losses, the Ukrainian authorities are warming up to the possibility of opening peace talks with Moscow, which is demanding that it be able to hold onto its gains in Ukraine.

Ukraine wants to join NATO, but NATO members are resistant to this, not wanting to be directly at war with Russia:

NATO members have so far resisted extending an invitation for Ukraine to join the alliance during the war, concerned that it would make the alliance an active participant in the fighting. The prospects seem even dimmer with President-elect Donald J. Trump set to take office, as his team has signaled reluctance to support Ukraine’s membership in the near future.

If the Western powers will pursue peace, it will only be done to buy time to prepare Ukraine for more fighting. Lets also remember, Germany is working to boost its own military might, and needs all the time it can get to accomplish this. It looks like the world of World Wars is returning.