Europe Braces for Prolonged Conflict in Ukraine Amid Uncertain Peace Prospects

As the United States concentrates on the conflict in Iran, European nations are preparing for a prolonged war in Ukraine, with diminishing hopes for a negotiated settlement between Moscow and Kyiv. This situation leaves Ukraine largely on its own, engaged in a war of attrition with Russia, with no clear end in sight. Neither side has a definitive path to victory, and a settlement appears unlikely without active American involvement and pressure on Russia, which President Trump has been reluctant to apply.

Fifteen months after President Trump vowed to end the war swiftly, James Sherr, a Russia and Ukraine analyst speaking from Kyiv, noted, "we find ourselves largely where we began in the negotiations." He added, "Increasingly, the Europeans understand that there is a fundamental incompatibility of interests and objectives between Ukraine and Russia, and the only sensible course is to continue to stand with Ukraine and deny Russia a victory by military or political means."

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine "has lost 80 percent of his illusions" about securing President Trump's support, according to Sherr. "He's in a very different place in his understanding of America." Ukrainian officials believe they are holding their own militarily and that any resolution of the war "will take place on the battlefield, if at all," he said.