The goal is not to repel or kill enemy soldiers but to capture them,” said Ali Mohammed Hassan, his voice steady as he adjusted the strap of his AK-47. Dressed in the traditional Tahami uniform, grenades hanging from his belt and ammunition at the ready, Hassan spoke with the confidence of someone deeply familiar with the terrain. “I know this land. That is our advantage.”

It will be the U.S. and Russia alone who will decide when and how a ceasefire and ultimately a peace plan will take place, not EU countries.