"What has been building up for the Ukrainians is fundamentally a manpower issue," a former senior Pentagon adviser told Newsweek.

They did not advance beyond their initial infiltration,” Tregubov said. “The map shows their route rather than all the ground they occupied. They were stopped early, and now the forces that entered are being contained and destroyed.

Despite the talks, there will be no lasting diplomatic resolution of the NATO-Russia conflict, which can only be ended on a progressive basis by an anti-war movement of the working class.