Ukraine 'to be pushed into accepting Russian terms' by Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz

UKRAINE will eventually be "pushed into accepting whatever the Russians are asking for" by Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz, a former British Army commander has warned.

By TIM MCNULTY

08:27, Mon, May 16, 2022 | UPDATED: 14:52, Mon, May 16, 2022

France and Germany have been tipped to put pressure on Ukraine to sign a peace deal with Russia once Vladimir Putin's military has stamped out the last areas of resistance in the Donbas. Former British Commander Richard Kemp has warned that Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz are likely to push Kyiv into accepting "whatever the Russians are asking for" once the military conflict in the east of Ukraine comes to an end. 

Mr Kemp told Sky News Australia: "I think in reality, the Russians are doing their best now as we speak to take the whole of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, and they're being quite successful at that.

"I think they're hammering the hell unfortunately out of Ukrainians with artillery, and then going into mop them up.

"It's a sort of slow, long process, but I think eventually, unfortunately, they will probably prevail in eastern Ukraine.

"They will also I've no doubt, consolidate their gains that they've made very effective gains in southern Ukraine, taking most of the southern coastline of Ukraine."

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Emmanuel Macron to push Ukraine ‘into accepting whatever the Russian’s are asking for' (Image: GETTY)

President Macron, Chancellor Scholz tipped to push Ukraine into accepting Russian peace terms (Image: GETTY)

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Volodymyr Zelensky accused the French President of working to help Vladimir Putin "save face".

Elysee officials took to social media to dispute Mr Zelensky's claims, stating that he hadn't advocated concessions for Russia.

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He continued: "At that point, I think once they're happy they will, Putin will ask for peace.

"I'm sure that people like President Macron, Chancellor Scholz will push Ukraine into accepting whatever the Russians are asking for sure."

Russia has attacked positions in eastern Ukraine in an effort to encircle Ukrainian forces in the Donbas and fend off a counteroffensive around the city of Izium.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia's offensive in Donbas had stalled and Ukraine could win the war, an outcome few military analysts predicted at the outset of the conflict.

"Russia's war in Ukraine is not going as Moscow had planned," Stoltenberg told reporters on Sunday.

In a strategic blow for Russia, which has long opposed NATO expansion, Finland on Sunday confirmed it would apply to join the Atlantic military alliance

Sweden's ruling Social Democrats also on Sunday backed NATO membership, paving the way for an application and abandoning decades of military nonalignment.

NATO and the United States said they were confident both countries would be accepted into the alliance and that reservations from Turkey, which wants the Nordic countries to halt support for Kurdish militant groups present on their territory, could be overcome.

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Russian military losses in Ukraine (Image: EXPRESS)

Ukraine has scored a series of successes since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, reversing an advance on the capital Kyiv and driving Russian forces out of Kharkiv in the east.

Since mid-April, Russian forces have focused much of their firepower on trying to capture two eastern provinces known as the Donbas.

Moscow recognised the independence of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic in the Donbas days before it launched its invasion of Ukraine.

British military intelligence said Russia had lost about a third of the ground combat force deployed in February, and its Donbas offensive had fallen "significantly behind schedule".

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1610806/Ukraine-winning-war-Russia-news-russian-president-vladimir-putin-Emmanuel-Macron-news-vn