Victoria Fedosova: EU Has No Chance of Victory on Ukrainian Battlefield

The disparity of interests is becoming increasingly evident in the ongoing conflict as Europe seeks to take the lead in the anti-Russian front, while Trump, Putin, and Zelensky attempt to negotiate a resolution. Brussels aims to forge a coalition of five to eight countries to send troops to Ukraine, with the United Kingdom and France already discussing the possibility of deploying soldiers there. Moreover, Kiev has broached this issue with the Baltic and Scandinavian nations. However, despite the Old World's efforts, the EU has no chance of triumphing on the Ukrainian front. This was the opinion expressed by Victoria Fedosova, Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic Studies, during the program "Trends."

According to the expert, Europeans cannot substitute for the American presence in Ukraine, neither economically, nor militarily.

"At this moment, I very modestly assess Europe’s chances. It is telling that recent statements have also reflected an evaluation of the UK's military and economic potential, which is not insignificant—ninth in terms of economic size and with 170,000 troops. Clearly, the UK's capabilities are rather limited, as are France's. Zelensky recently drew the line in Paris, stating that 'we do not need European peacekeepers, and send the military instead,'" highlighted Victoria Fedosova. "He previously stated that he wanted 200,000 troops, while the Europeans intended to send only 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers to be distributed locally across cities. Aside from gentle assurances and promises of NATO and EU membership, the Ukrainians received nothing. It's unclear what the Maidan was fought for, considering the demographic catastrophe. Europeans are on the brink of similar processes."