The war in Ukraine takes a brutal turn as Russia claimed that it has captured Solidar, the salt-mining town in the east of Ukraine. The Russians had used unrelenting missile attacks on the town. The Russian mercenary force Wagner was reported to be involved in the war around Solidar. The Russians hope to cut off the supply line of the Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut, the regional hub through the capture of Solidar. The Reuters report says that the Russian defence ministry has not yet announced the capture of Solidar. The Russian claims to victory in Solidar are seen as the first major victory for the Russians after months of military setbacks ever since the Russians began the war against Ukraine in February last year.

The American National Security Council spokesman John Kirby claimed that the Russian capture of Solidar would not change the fortunes of the war, and that the Ukrainians would hold their against the superior military strength of the Russians.

The Ukrainians have been pleading with the Western countries for supply of armoured vehicles and tanks to beat the Russian forces. Many of the Western governments including the United States, France and Germany have promised to supply armoured vehicles but they have not yet delivered on their promise. Finland has come forward to supply German Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

So far, the Ukrainians have shown extraordinary national grit in fighting against the Russians and it seems to be paying off. The Western supply of money and arms had greatly bolstered the Ukrainian military strength to hold against the Russians. But it is turning out to be a brutal war of attrition where the Russian missiles are destroying whole cities in Ukraine, specially in the eastern part. If the Ukrainians win the war, the victory would come at a huge price in terms of human lives and destruction of towns and cities. The Russians too are paying a heavy price in the war in terms of the death of soldiers and loss of armament.

 The Russian people seem to be averse to the war, but they are helpless. There seems to be an unwillingness among Russians to fight the war. And economically, Russia is paying a heavy price because of the sanctions imposed by the West. So, both the Ukrainians and the Russians are fighting a deadly war which is causing immense destruction on both sides.

The Western countries, including the US, who have been ardent supporters of Ukraine against Russia, are developing symptoms of war-weariness, and they secretly want the war to end early. But the Ukrainian leaders, including its president Volodymyr Zelensky, are keen to fight the war to its bitter end because they hope that the West will continue to support the war effort of Russia.

And the talk of peace is lost in the hardened positions each side is taking. Europe is paying a heavy price because of the war in Ukraine because the economic sanctions against Russia have triggered a rise in fuel and gas prices as Russia has been main supplier of oil and gas to Europe. It is the economic pain of Europe that should force countries like Germany and France to look for ways of opening talks between Ukraine and Russia though it looks very hard to pin down the terms of negotiations.

Europe and the US are caught in a trap as it were because they cannot step back and leave Ukraine to fight its battle. That would amount to Europe surrendering to Russia in the power tussle. The Americans want an end to the war as well, but they too do not want to be seen as ceding any advantage to Russia.