Ukraine “cannot win this war militarily”, a retired German army general has warned, calling on Western leaders to embrace diplomacy at a moment when Russian forces are preparing a fresh offensive in the east of the country.
Roland Kather told television channel Welt that despite the courage and determination of Ukraine’s armed forces, “the situation for Ukraine is critical—extremely critical.”
He argued that Russia now holds superiority in every domain, from air power and drone technology to manpower on the ground, and that Kyiv’s Western backers have proved too slow and too hesitant to provide the heavy weapons needed to change the course of the war.
The general’s stark words serve as a reality check for European leaders, who for the past three and a half years have funnelled arms and ammunition into Ukraine in the hope of defeating Russia on the battlefield.
“Confidence-building measures are certainly one of the promising things that can be pursued,” Kather said, stressing that diplomatic dialogue—however limited—may now be the most valuable tool available.
He pointed in particular to the efforts of U.S. president Donald Trump, who has in recent weeks met both Russian and Ukrainian leaders in a bid to end the conflict.
The warning comes as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Russia has massed around 100,000 soldiers near Pokrovsk, a strategic eastern stronghold that has withstood repeated assaults for more than a year.
The fall of Pokrovsk could open the way to Russian advances on Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, two of the largest cities still under Kyiv’s control in the Donetsk region.
Data compiled by the Institute for the Study of War shows that Russia captured nearly 600 square kilometres of territory in August alone, consolidating control over 79.6% of the Donetsk region.
While this marked a slight slowdown from July, the trend underscores Moscow’s steady progress in the east.
Russia currently controls one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory. It has full control of the Luhansk region as well as the Crimean peninsula, which it annexed in 2014. Three other regions—Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia—are under partial Russian occupation.
Western governments have consistently dismissed Russian overtures as insincere, accusing Moscow of using negotiations as cover to regroup and resupply.
Yet General Kather insists that dialogue should not be dismissed. “Even if Trump has not had great success so far, the mere fact that dialogue is taking place is, in this precarious situation, worth a lot to me,” he said.
