This is the Friends of History Debating Society. I'm John Batch with Professor H.J.

Macinder, international relations. Very generous. We go to Moscow. Moscow in these

last days is consuming news that came from Kief some days past a remark by the general in

charge of the Ukrainian military in an interview with the Economist magazine.

What he said was straightforward and has been observed for some time.

The front line is a stalemate, the spring offensive launched by the Ukrainian army to great

attempt to great applause and the attempt is now if not failed stalled with winter

weather coming on the general observed that the defensive

perimeter that the Russians had put up was near to impenetrable they'd'd move very little. You remember the Russians had difficulty moving

against the Ukrainians. Might be the nature of this war, although the sides are not equal.

The Russians have had air superiority for some time.

The Iranians are, the Ukrainians are not fighting with Arab.

However, stalemate was the word and it caused political turmoil in Kief. Mr. Zulensky rejected that

word and said that they're going to win. There was also the remark by unknown members of the cabinet or the inner circle that on this

Mr. Zelensky can seem delusional the idea that he can regain all of Ukraine including the Crimea.

Professor, Keith's point of view, stalemate.

Well, to be frank, as someone who's, I've never fought in a war, but I have studied war a lot.

This kind of impatience that what we're seeing is a it's a political blowback from a

protracted war in countries that are not dictatorships so we had it in the United States and Vietnam and we've had it really

since then. We haven't had much military success. Certainly Afghanistan was

a disaster. But I, if you look at World War I or World War II, two years

into them, you're not very near to victory at all. So it doesn't surprise me that Ukraine, which has a front, an active front of about 600 miles.

...