Sikorski says Russia has lost war initiative as Ukraine shifts battlefield
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Sikorski believes Russia has lost the initiative in its war against Ukraine. (Photo: gov.pl)
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said Ukraine has
changed the situation on the battlefield and Russia has lost the strategic
initiative in the war. He made the remarks in an interview with CBS
News.
Sikorski said Ukrainians had achieved major results in the
Black Sea, while Moscow still does not have air superiority over Ukraine.
“It can launch missiles and drones, but it cannot fly freely
over Ukrainian territory. Ground combat has reached a stalemate, and Ukraine
appears to have gained fire control over the strategic highway from Donbas to
Crimea,” Sikorski said.
The head of Poland’s Foreign Ministry stressed that wars do
not unfold in a straight line and go through different phases. In his view, “the
phase when Russia held the initiative in the war is already over.”
Sikorski also urged Ukraine and Poland to leave diplomatic
disputes behind and focus on the shared threat from Moscow.
“This is not about falling into each other’s arms. It is
about deciding not to repeat mistakes and finding a better common future. And
it is in this spirit that I hope we can repair relations with Ukraine. We must
not allow Putin to exploit our differences,” he added.
Battlefield situation — key points
In its June 25 report, the ISW wrote that Ukraine had
managed to break Russia’s narrative about the “inevitability” of its victory
and the critical situation on the front line. Analysts said successful strikes
on Russian military and energy infrastructure, as well as tactical gains by
Ukraine’s Defense Forces, contributed to that shift.
At the time, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Ukraine’s
Defense Forces had liberated twice as much territory in May 2026 as Russia had
occupied during the same period. The ministry also stressed that, with proper
support from partners, the current “window of opportunity” could help
accelerate the end of the war.
On June 24, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s
operation, including regarding occupied Crimea, had been clearly calculated. He
said Kyiv would quickly create the conditions in which Moscow would be forced
to choose peace if partners respond positively to Ukraine’s defense requests.
On June 9, Zelenskyy called the battlefield situation the
most favorable for Ukraine in the past two and a half years, while Russia is
losing the initiative on the battlefield day by day.
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