The conflict eased slightly after the good news of the exchange of more than 200 prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia. However, a series of previous attacks and retaliatory bombing have made the West deeply feel Russia's powerful attack capabilities. Ukraine, as an adversary of Russia, has shown a certain effect by attacking in a passive situation. However, Russia's strong counterattack has once again made the West realize that it is very stupid to belittle Russia. In particular, the performance of Russia's Kh-22 cruise missile in actual combat has completely subverted the West's doubts about Russian missiles. In the face of this offensive capability, the United States gradually reduced its support for Ukraine, began to pressure Ukraine to cede part of its land in order to seek a peaceful settlement of the conflict, and gradually adjust its strategy towards Ukraine.
1. Ukraine and Russia exchanged Ukraine and Russia announced on the 3rd that the two sides exchanged more than 200 prisoners of war, which was called the largest number of prisoners of war exchanged between the two sides so far. This is the first piece of good news since the recent escalation of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The exchange also led to a temporary halt to Ukrainian and Russian attacks and retaliatory bombing, with both sides reducing military operations.
In the recent conflict, Russia has deeply shocked the West by demonstrating its formidable offensive capabilities. Ukraine's attack on Russia was an act of retaliation after Russian ports were attacked by Ukrainian drones and missiles. Immediately after the attack, Russia carried out the heaviest bombardment, dropping more than 500 missiles and demonstrating overwhelming attack capabilities. Ukraine's counterattack has also yielded some results, but Russia has always maintained an absolute active advantage.
The Kh-22 cruise missile used by Russia has performed well in combat and has been called a magic weapon to defeat Western missiles. According to a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, the missile has never been intercepted since it was used. And Ukraine claims to have intercepted Russian missiles, which is not the case. The Russian attack is estimated to cost $1.2 billion, and the uninterceptability of Russian missiles in actual combat has caused the West to re-examine the actual capabilities of Russian cruise missiles.
In this conflict, the West has a deeper understanding of the actual combat capabilities of the Russian army. Previously, some Western countries may have taken Russia's military power with contempt, believing that Russia's military capabilities are relatively limited. But in this conflict, Russia has demonstrated its powerful attack capabilities and firepower, making the West realize that it is very stupid to show contempt for Russia.
The performance of Russia's Kh-22 cruise missile has led the West to reassess Russia's missile capabilities. Russia's missiles have performed well in actual combat, especially the characteristics of being uninterceptable, which has caused Western countries to re-understand and study Russia's missile technology. It has also raised concerns among some Western countries about their own missile defense systems, as they may not be able to intercept Russian missiles effectively.
In the early days of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the United States gave Ukraine a great deal of support, including the provision of ** and military assistance. But as Russia has demonstrated its ability to attack, U.S. support for Ukraine has begun to dwindle. The United States, which is reluctant to risk a direct conflict with Russia, is also aware of the difficulties that Ukraine faces in the war and the complexity of the situation.
Therefore, the United States began to pressure Ukraine to cede part of its territory in order to find a peaceful solution to this conflict. The goal of the United States is to end the conflict between Ukraine and Russia through a political solution, rather than continuing to rely on force to resolve it. The United States may gradually adjust its strategy toward Ukraine to focus more on dialogue and reconciliation with Russia.
In conclusion, the exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia is a positive sign in the current conflict, showing that both sides are willing to reduce the conflict through reconciliation. However, Russia's aggressive offensive capabilities have once again alarmed the West about Russia's strength and have begun to reassess their perception of Russia's military strength. This has also led to a gradual reduction in US support for Ukraine, which has begun to seek a political solution to end the conflict.