NATO strategy on Ukraine failed, arming Kiev getting ‘nowhere’: Ex-Italian PM

Leader of Italian populist Five Star movement Giuseppe Conte addresses he media on October 20, 2022 in Rome (Photo via AFP)

Former Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says that NATO’s strategy on Ukraine has failed in the ongoing war with Russia, stressing that Western efforts to arm Kiev and break Russia’s economy “are getting nowhere.”

NATO’s attempts to defeat Russia in the Ukraine conflict have completely failed as Moscow continues to “stand tall” amid Kiev’s faltering counteroffensive and Western sanctions, Conte wrote in a post on his Facebook on Saturday.

“There has been no disintegration of [Russia’s] military and paramilitary departments; there has been no retreat due to the Ukrainian counteroffensive,” he said.

He added that the West’s hopes for domestic political turmoil in the country also failed to materialize.

After a year and a half of hostilities between Moscow and Kiev it was time to “put aside the optimistic assessments… fueled by a superficial as well as deafening war propaganda” in the West, Conte wrote. 

Conte also said that the massive military aid to Kiev by the West and the “logic of escalation,” has failed to bring about the much-hoped-for demise of the Russian military.

Ukraine never managed to push Russian forces back from Bakhmut, he said.

Bakhmut is a key Donbass stronghold that Russia captured in May after months of fierce fighting.  

He also slammed the EU for lack of an “autonomous political and economic leadership,” failing to develop an “effective common strategy,” and kowtowing to the US government.

According to Conte, sanctions, imposed on Russia by the US and its allies following the start of the conflict last year, did not produce the desired outcome either and failed to isolate Russia.

“[Sanctions] have not bankrupted it or crippled [Russia’s] economy,” he said. The long-stated goal of isolating Moscow “has by no means been achieved.” 

He also pointed to the recent BRICS summit which led to an unprecedented expansion of the bloc as a case in point.

BRICS is an intercontinental geopolitical bloc consisting of five countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, with their leaders meeting annually at summits and coordinating multilateral policies.

The 15th annual summit of BRICS has been held in the South African city of Johannesburg on August 22-24.

On Thursday, the bloc announced the admission of six new members from the beginning of the next year, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Argentina, the UAE, and Ethiopia will join the current five members.

Conte’s comments come as the Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed to gain any significant ground despite more than two months of fighting.

According to Moscow, Kiev has lost more than 43,000 service members and nearly 5,000 pieces of military equipment since the start of the push.

The former Italian prime minister, who held the office from 2018 to 2021, has in the past repeatedly called for peace talks and opposed further arms deliveries to Kiev, warning of a potential escalation.