Putin Failing On All Fronts In Ukraine, NATO Deputy Chief Tells Haaretz

NATO deputy chief Mircea Geoana says Russian President Vladimir Putin is failing on all fronts in Ukraine, with fatalities at three on the Russian side for each Ukrainian soldier killed.

Photo Insert: “The speed of the Russian invasion has basically slowed down. The morale of the Russian troops is plummeting,” said NATO deputy chief Mircea Geoana.

“The speed of the Russian invasion has basically slowed down. The morale of the Russian troops is plummeting,” Geoana told Yossi Melman of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

“We as NATO are providing massive military support to Ukraine in terms of anti-tank missiles, air defenses, ammunition, fuel, logistics, helmets, bulletproof vests,” said Geoana. In his eloquent, carefully worded diplomatic language, Mircea Geoana is cautious not to give even the slightest hint that Israel’s behavior in the Russia-Ukraine war might be subject to criticism.

On the contrary, in an interview with Haaretz, Geoana expressed his support for Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s attempts to mediate between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Last week, the Financial Times reported that Bennett’s efforts had led to the drafting of a tentative, 15-point peace plan. Ukraine, however, rejected many of the proposed clauses. Russia reportedly spends $2-billion daily to sustain the war effort.

Israel has been slammed for supplying software weapons to Russia but has refused to donate bulletproof vests to civilian aid workers, critics said. Israel depends on the US for its own defense, with Washington spending $3-billion annually to supply Tel Aviv with weapons.

The criticisms intensified after Putin bombed an art school in Mariupol on Mar. 20, trapping 400 children and adults in the basement, and Zelenskyy addressed the Israeli Knesset. Putin has denied bombing civilian targets despite a ton of evidence showing that Russia is engaged in carpet bombing Ukraine to reduce its battle losses.

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