Opinion | Time for Ukraine to negotiate with Russia to end war

As the war in Ukraine grinds on, the grim reality is setting in: the country is losing to Russia. Ukrainian forces are running dangerously low on ammunition, troops and air defences. Last year’s much-anticipated counteroffensive failed to reclaim the ground seized by Russian forces, leaving morale among Ukrainian troops severely depleted.

Relentless bombardment, a shortage of advanced weaponry and heavy battlefield losses have taken their toll. In one recent episode, more than 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers are feared to have been killed during the battle for a single village of Krynky in the Kherson region on the left bank of the Dnipro River.

Ukraine’s difficult position means it is time to consider negotiations with Russia, sparing Ukraine from further suffering and ensuring a semblance of stability for its future. The alternative is a prolonged conflict that it can ill afford, with costs that it cannot bear.

Russia is not only defeating Ukraine on the battlefield but also by targeting its power facilities. A recent missile attack left 100,000 people without power in the northeastern region of Sumy. Such attacks on energy facilities have become routine, often plunging Ukraine into extended blackouts, leaving civilians without running water, air conditioning or critical medical equipment in hot summer conditions.