Russia feels vulnerable in Europe because it is fighting a combined NATO-led alliance in Ukraine, a top Russian analyst has said. Speaking to Sandeep Unnithan Editor-in-chief Chakra Newz, ahead of the August 15 summit between President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump , Ruslan Pukhov, Director the Moscow-based Centre for the Analysis of Strategies and Technology (CAST) said that Russia’s vulnerabilities needed to be seen in terms of military potential and not declarations. 

The two Presidents meet in Alaska on August 15, to discuss a possible  end of the Russia-Ukraine war. This is the first face-to-face meeting between the two heads of government in four years. 

“NATO and the collective West are much stronger than Russia,” Pukhov said. “Russia is fighting this war without an alliance. We (Russia) have people who support us morally, India, Serbia, China, but they are not our allies. They are quite neutral in this conflict. Ukraine has dozens of allies, which supplied it with weapons intelligence information, and money into its corrupt economy. We are facing a collective West. And, it's also one of the reasons why we achieved such modest results on the ground. This fight is not about grounds in Ukraine. Right. It's about our future, and, it's about basically how we would feel.”

Alaska is former Imperial Russian territory sold to the United States for $7 million dollars in 1877. August 15 also marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War where the former Soviet Union and the United States were allies against Japan and Germany.

It was absolutely clear that there would be some kind of agreement in Alaska, Pukhov said.  “After almost four years of such a bloody conflict, it cannot be stopped overnight. Yes. Supposed to be stopped by stages. But even if let's say, the hostilities largely stop, by the new year, I think it will be a huge success.”

Arjun Dev Singh

Arjun Dev Singh has a deep interest in defence, security, and strategic affairs. With a strong analytical lens and a passion for military and geopolitical developments, Arjun strives to bring clarity and context to complex national and international issues.