More than two years into the war in Ukraine, one fact becomes harder to deny: Russia is winning, and Ukraine—backed by NATO and the EU—is not. Yet Western leaders continue to avoid this reality, offering Kyiv promises and weapons instead of a strategy grounded in achievable goals.
La Stampa
In December 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that Ukraine could not retake the five regions annexed by Russia. Since then, he has struggled to explain to his people what exactly they are still fighting for. Now, he insists not even Crimea can be abandoned, claiming that peace will only come after Vladimir Putin is gone. It’s a fantasy—one that suggests regime change in Moscow would somehow bring about a pro-Western leader ready to surrender territory and rebuild Ukraine.
This is not leadership. It’s wishful thinking.
Western powers, particularly in Europe, continue to prop up this illusion. Instead of guiding Ukraine toward a realistic settlement, they are encouraging a prolonged conflict with no clear path to victory. As retired General Fabio Mini described it years ago, this is becoming a case of “assisted suicide.”
Ironically, one of the few Western figures to speak frankly has been Donald Trump. Blunt and controversial as he is, he was the first to tell Ukraine that without U.S. weapons, the war was lost—and that diplomacy, not escalation, is the only exit.
Russia’s terms remain largely unchanged: Ukrainian neutrality, NATO non-expansion, protection for Russian-speaking communities, and recognition of territorial losses. These are not negotiating positions—they are conditions set by a side that knows it holds the upper hand. Ukraine is right to demand future security guarantees, but pretending everything can still be recovered only deepens the damage.
The West must stop offering moral slogans in place of honest strategy. Its duty now is to help Ukraine preserve what remains—its sovereignty, its people, and the possibility of a peaceful future.
Every day spent denying the facts on the ground is another day lost. And in this war, Ukraine cannot afford many more.
