'They've moved north and south of Bakhmut. He said Ukrainian forces were not trying to retake Bakhmut, but were instead screening it. Submit your own question and read all previous answers here.ĭefence and security analyst Professor Michael Clarke has been discussing developments on the ground in Ukraine, including the recent liberation of the village of Klishchiivka, in the Bakhmut region. If that quest looks increasingly unachievable, then we will see the extent to which western influence is still dominant as a peace plan is negotiated (with China as a key broker?). To return to the thrust of your question: a lack of assertive decision-making? Western leaders would argue that their collective decision is assertive: to continue to back Ukraine in its quest to recapture all its territory. However, it is also true that the Western alliance on Ukraine remains strong both politically and in terms of the Nato military alliance (notwithstanding tension - the US's fractious politics and Europe's grain row).

Russia's Vladimir Putin obviously didn't turn up and China's Xi Jinping is happy to test divergence from a world order centred around the UN. That hardly helps push home the case in this shifting world order that the UN, its charter and the values it stands for really matter. Only one leader from the five permanent members of the security council turned up - Joe Biden. It was left to his deputy, Oliver Dowden. He passed on the opportunity to stand before the green marble of the world's top diplomatic body to set out Britain's leadership and vision for Ukraine and much more beyond that. There was, for example, some bewilderment about Rishi Sunak's decision to skip last week's UN General Assembly meeting in New York. You could certainly make a good case for this argument, and many are. US correspondent Mark Stone had this to say in response: Today, Frank asks: Are we witnessing the demise of Western influence due to the lack of any assertive decision-making by our leaders? We've been putting your questions to our experts and senior correspondents.Įvery weekday at 12.30pm, they've been providing their specialist insight into the biggest issues raised by readers. The main thing is that this price will have to be paid by the people of that country.' 'This is a mistake, and, unfortunately, they will have to eventually realise the price of this mistake. The way we see it, they make a mistake in front of their own people when they argue that for developing relations with the European, with the Western European countries, they are obliged to completely destroy all relations with us. 'Mrs Sandu and the Moldovan leadership are fundamentally wrong. It is part and parcel of the common European values, whatever some might say. 'Unfortunately, the current authorities in Kishinev and Mrs Sandu see the European values as mandatory denial of everything Russian,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The Kremlin has today been responding to Ms Sandu's suggestion that cooperation with Russia would contradict the principles of European integration. Indeed Maia Sandu, its president, previously accused Moscow of orchestrating a plot to overthrow her government. Moldova has featured prominently among other former Soviet bloc countries that have had tensions with Russia rise in recent years. 'And it's odd that producing a rather vague video and saying he's here somewhere and leaving it to news organisations like us to try to work out who it might be is less than clear in the message they were trying to send.' But I think the Russians would have to produce more convincing evidence than this if they want to be taken seriously on this particular issue. 'There's a lot of evidence that Sokolov was in the building that was hit on Friday by a couple of Storm Shadow missiles. On the other hand, there's still no proof that this video is really current. 'It could be Sokolov, looking at previous photographs of him. 'We've located the person on the video who looks most like Sokolov, and it may be him, but it's not a completely clear match.

Defence and security analyst Professor Michael Clarke has been offering his thoughts after the Black Sea fleet commander whom Ukraine claims to have killed was among those seemingly at a meeting today.Īs detailed in our 12.00 post, Admiral Viktor Sokolov appeared in a video feed showing attendees at the gathering chaired by defence minister Sergei Shoigu.Ĭlarke says: 'We've looked at the video, it's not very clear and it jumps around quite a lot.

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