Kortunov, director of the Russian Council of International Affairs, said that NATO countries currently have two reactions to Russia's announcement of local military mobilization: they hope to retaliate and punish Russia to the greatest extent possible; they hope to end the conflict with some kind of political compromise as soon as possible. Many countries oscillate between these diametrically opposed positions. He believes that while NATO countries do not want Russia to win, they also understand that Russia is unlikely to lose.