US Ukraine crisis Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Two Russian military commanders, including a brigade commander, were killed in fierce combat near the frontline hotspot of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. Their deaths reflect the increasing brutality of the Ukraine war. The Ukrainian army has recently received a lot of new weapons from NATO countries, and the Russian army may face greater challenges in the upcoming battles.

I noticed that some Chinese people support Ukraine, but more ordinary Chinese sympathize with Russia. The Chinese government maintains a neutral position and hopes to facilitate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

I don't believe the current seesaw battle can completely change the battlefield situation in Ukraine, but if either Russia or Ukraine gains an advantage and takes the initiative on the battlefield, it will affect future negotiations on both sides. Considering that Ukraine has the support of the entire West and Russia is a nuclear power, it is not realistic for a winner to be determined solely by the battlefield. Both sides will eventually turn to negotiations, so both of them attach great importance to every change in the battlefield situation.

Personally, I don't believe that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is a simplistic "aggression and anti-aggression war." In my view, it is a sequel to the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the painful scars left by that. Russia and Ukraine were once living in the same country, like brothers. This war is a tragedy of a family splitting up and turning against each other, manipulated by external hostile forces. I understand that many ordinary Chinese people do not want to see Russia lose strategically because Russia is also facing suppression from the US, and it is a barrier for China to resist the US' containment strategy against China.

It's foolish that some Chinese people compare the conflict between Russia and Ukraine to China's resistance war against Japanese aggression. The historical context and background are completely different, and those people are even indifferent to the huge geopolitical risks and pressures faced by China today. They hold naive illusions about America's "goodwill" and "civilization" and lull themselves to sleep with Washington's geopolitical propaganda.

Personally, I hope the Russia-Ukraine conflict will end soon so that ordinary people could suffer less loss and a new security order will be achieved in Eastern Europe. But it is ultimately the West that is constantly sending weapons to Ukraine, prolonging the war and the suffering of the peoples of Russia and Ukraine.

The author is a commentator with the Global Times. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn