The report from Asia Times summarizes the discussion among a group of former top US soldiers, intelligence officials, and scholars, totalling a couple dozen. The writer reports that “overwhelmingly” the sentiment was in the direction of more aid to Ukraine, with one even pushing for forming a foreign legion of international volunteers to fight Russia in Ukraine. “The great majority of participants favored risking everything for absolute victory over Russia,” the report said, and included that there seemed to be no reserves about the growing risk of a nuclear confrontation, or any kind of broader escalation at all. Rather, there was frustration that Ukraine is not winning.
One member raised the potential that Zelensky may accept China’s peace proposal, as it becomes more clear that Ukraine has no way out. This is more likely in view of the recent Saudi Arabia-Iran agreement that was brokered by China, and the obvious factor China can play between Russia and Ukraine. Additionally, the West is underestimating China, according to the supposed expert.
Still others spoke of scenarios in which Ukraine could win the war and wage its so-called Spring offensive: “Ukraine would need 650 modern main battle tanks and 1,000 armed personnel carriers to make a difference, in the view of one expert. Another former senior US commander argued that the United States should send 1,000 Abrams M1 tanks to Ukraine, although he didn’t explain from where they might be obtained. Ukraine should receive weapons that can destroy targets deep inside Russia, he added, and the US ‘should get rid of the artificial boundary that says Ukraine can’t strike into Russia. Russia is part of the battlefield.’”
This flight-forward attitude was also voiced by one who suggested that the West begin sanctioning China as well, in order to increase divisions within the China-Russia relationship and cause China to break from support of Russia. “There is a lot of anti-Russia sentiment in China,” this person said, adding that the Chinese people would break from their support of Russia if put under enough economic hardship. https://asiatimes.com/2023/03/why-ukraine-may-embrace-chinas-peace-plan/
