The war between Russia and Ukraine is nearing a stalemate, with neither side nearing victory or willing to give in, according to a NATO intelligence official.
Speaking to NBC News, the unnamed NATO official said, “If we’re not in a stalemate, we are rapidly approaching one.”
“The reality is that neither side has a superiority over the other,” they added.
According to the official, Belarus, a close Moscow ally, may soon launch an attack on Ukraine or allow Russia to position nuclear weapons on its soil. Belarus allowed Russian soldiers to amass along its border with Ukraine prior to the start of the invasion on Feb. 24.
“The Belarusian government is preparing the environment to justify a Belarusian offensive against Ukraine and the imminent deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus,” they said.
While Ukraine has been able to prevent Russian soldiers from taking major cities, including the capital city of Kyiv, Russian President Vladimir Putin is also unwilling to admit defeat, the NATO official told NBC.
“So what happens when you have these two forces then grinding on each other in this way? The loss of life and the damage is going to be quite severe,” said the official. “Neither side here can win. Neither side will capitulate.”
The invasion of Ukraine has now entered its fourth week, with nearly a thousand civilians reported killed, millions more having fled the country, and more than 10 million forced to leave their homes.
The Pentagon said last week that Russian forces were stalled in their invasion, despite their ongoing bombardment of cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol.
A senior U.S. defense official told reporters that the Ukrainians had “effectively struck at the Russian logistics and sustainment capabilities.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Sunday that Putin was now attempting to “reestablish some momentum” in his attack on Ukraine.
Discussing Russia’s alleged use of hypersonic missiles in Ukraine, Austin said these actions could suggest that Putin was in short supply of other weapons or lacked confidence in his troops.