War in Ukraine unlikely to end in 2026, says retired US general

The war in Ukraine is unlikely to conclude this year, according to retired US Army Europe commander Gen. Ben Hodges. 

Speaking on the prospects for resolving the conflict, Hodges told Ukrainian media that there are currently no realistic conditions for achieving sustainable peace.

Hodges stated that he does not believe the war will end this year, as he considers that the Russian side is not interested in reaching a peace agreement. The general emphasised that Moscow must be compelled to agree to a ceasefire, since it would be impossible to achieve this without external pressure.

“Unfortunately, the approach of the administration toward these peace negotiations has been wrong from the beginning. They put all the pressure on Ukraine, not on Russia. They do not care about the origin of the war. They expect Ukraine to give up land that the Russian army cannot even capture. I do not know how that is a good peace negotiation,” he noted, adding that the lack of sufficient leverage from Washington delays prospects for ending the hostilities.

By Vugar Khalilov