Ukraine's open-ended game when launching "Spider Web" into Russian territory

Operation “Spider Web” could help Ukraine gain the initiative in negotiations with Russia.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

After three years of conflict, the second round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine ended within an hour.

At a negotiating table in Istanbul, Türkiye on June 2, representatives of Kiev and Moscow agreed to exchange prisoners and the bodies of the dead, but the two sides made little progress in ending the war.

When Russian officials handed Ukraine a memorandum outlining the terms of ending the conflict, Ukraine said it needed a week to review the document.

The Turkish president said the talks were considered a “success” because the day before, Ukraine had launched a large-scale drone attack on Russian airports, destroying a series of strategic bombers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the “Spider Web” operation helped restore confidence among international partners that Kiev could continue to defend itself.

"Ukraine says we will not surrender and will not give in to any ultimatums. We do not want to fight, we do not want to demonstrate our strength, but we are forced to act because the enemy does not want to stop," Mr. Zelensky said at a press conference.

The Ukrainian drone attack has been called “the boldest attack” since the beginning of the conflict and “a military and strategic turning point,” as Russia knows how far Ukraine can go and the world knows that Ukraine is still finding new ways to defend itself.

Ukraine's Game

Earlier this year, as the United States took on the role of broker for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, President Zelensky once again demanded security guarantees for Ukraine.

President Zelensky has consistently stressed that any discussion of a real and lasting peace must be conditioned on preventing Russia from resuming its military campaign in Ukraine.

But since then, the US seems to have stopped listening to the Ukrainian leader.

While President Trump has sought to improve relations with President Putin and has repeatedly angered President Zelensky, the Ukrainian leader and his security forces have been working hard to prepare for a complex operation.

Operation “Spider Web,” which was personally directed and supervised by President Zelensky, was planned for a year and a half before it was officially launched on June 1. A day later, Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Istanbul for pre-planned talks.

During 18 months of preparation, Ukraine quietly sent more than 100 drones into Russian territory in a way that few expected. These drones then attacked air bases and airports in Russia, directly hitting the strategic air force, including Russia's strategic bombers.

Russian and Ukrainian delegations negotiate in Istanbul on June 2 (Photo: AFP).

The attack took place just before the talks in Türkiye. Experts say this could be a calculation by President Zelensky to show strength and gain the initiative at the negotiating table with Russia.

Ukraine's campaign also sends a message to all sides: The war is not over yet.

“It was a very bold move. Very unexpected. Perfectly timed. Just 24 hours before important talks in Türkiye,” said Leonid Petrov, a Russia expert and visiting fellow at the Australian National University.

“We don’t know how many cards Ukraine has left in its arsenal and what will happen next, but it’s clear that this is an effective negotiating tactic,” Petrov added.

“Ukraine has recently been accused of having no cards to play,” said Yuriy Sak, an adviser to the Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine. “So we have proven that we can sit at the negotiating table from a position of strength and that Ukraine will never give up its ability to defend itself and inflict damage on its opponents.”

Operation “Spider Web” was a surprise development and after months of patience with the White House, it put President Zelensky in a better position.

Before President Zelensky called on all sides to help contain Russia and weaken Russia's offensive power, he took the initiative and demonstrated Ukraine's capabilities.

“Russia must feel the losses. It is those losses that push them towards diplomacy ,” Mr. Zelensky declared.

It may be far-fetched to expect Operation Spider Web to change Russia's strategic calculus, but the offensive also exposed some of Moscow's weaknesses.

Ukraine claims to have shot down 41 Russian aircraft in the attack. Russia has not confirmed this, but the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that “Russia will likely struggle to replace aircraft damaged and destroyed by Ukrainian forces.”

Russia may respond more forcefully to Ukraine’s attack, even abandoning attempts at negotiations. However, Moscow is forced to admit that Ukraine can now advance 7,000km further into Russia’s mainland and attack Russian strategic assets.

This would put President Zelensky in a new position he has not had since the conflict began.

According to Dan Tri

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/van-bai-lat-ngua-cua-ukraine-khi-tung-mang-nhen-vao-lanh-tho-nga-250855.htm