The Italian newspaper La Stampa, referencing US intelligence assessments, analyzes four main strategic weaknesses of Russia in its war against Ukraine. US President Donald Trump is aware of these vulnerabilities and bases his tactics toward Vladimir Putin on this information.
The first major weakness concerns Russia’s military mobilization issues—reserves are dwindling and the Russian economy can no longer sustain high payments for mercenaries. The second is the worsening state of Russia’s economy, which faces severe challenges despite support from some countries.
The third weakness is the limited progress of Russian forces on the battlefield: plans to capture all of Donetsk region remain unfulfilled. The fourth is the improved military-technical status of Ukrainian forces, who are receiving more modern weaponry and can strike sensitive Russian targets.
La Stampa stresses that Trump sees this as a reason for increased pressure on Putin and has offered him honorable ceasefire terms. However, the Russian president refuses to acknowledge these problems, hoping to achieve his aims through prolonged confrontation and intimidation of the West.
Nevertheless, the war is increasingly weakening Russia: the country is losing influence in the former Soviet space, and its people are facing worsening economic and security conditions. Russia's strategic weaknesses are deepening by the day and may lead to major problems for Putin’s regime in the future.
