On February 21, 2026, The Times reported that Ukraine is not losing its war against Vladimir Putin. President Volodymyr Zelensky is quoted as saying this month: “We are not losing.”
Ukraine may not be losing, but neither is it winning. Nor, therefore, is Russia. The war has settled into a grinding stalemate. Both sides are making limited advances, with little realistic prospect of a decisive breakthrough. Both armies are exhausted.
Russia’s economy is gradually sinking under the burden of this unjustified and wicked war. If Ukraine is not losing, as Zelensky says, then arguably it is slowly gaining ground in a broader sense. I do not believe Putin can sustain this war indefinitely. Ukraine also faces immense strain, but Russia’s structural weaknesses may be greater.
Putin increasingly relies on mercenaries, offering vast salaries to men who often survive only briefly after entering what has become a brutal war of attrition. Full mobilisation would risk serious domestic dissent. Russia may, in fact, be at a vulnerable point.
Turning to Dominic Lawson’s commentary in The Sunday Times of February 22, he argues that every part of Russia is geared towards war, and nothing short of defeat will stop it. He notes that tens of thousands of youth clubs indoctrinate children into the belief that Russia is surrounded by enemies. The country is on a permanent war footing. Putin has no intention of stopping. European leaders surely understand this.
If that is so, the endless rounds of peace talks risk becoming an exercise in self-deception. We know these efforts are unlikely to succeed, yet they continue.
One reason is that Europe struggles to contemplate the possibility of fighting alongside Ukrainian forces inside Ukraine. The idea appears politically unthinkable. Europe supplies weapons, albeit sometimes reluctantly, but stops short of direct involvement. In effect, Ukraine is fighting a proxy war on Europe’s behalf against Russian aggression.
This is unfair to Ukraine.
Europe should rapidly assemble a unified force capable of deploying to Ukraine to fight alongside Ukrainian soldiers. Even announcing such an intention could fundamentally alter the course of the war. The mere declaration that European troops might enter the conflict would send a shock through the Kremlin.
It might be enough to force Putin to compromise in negotiations and accept terms he currently rejects. And if it is not, then Europe must decide whether it has the resolve to act. There are moments in history when remaining on the defensive only prolongs conflict. Taking the initiative changes the dynamic entirely.
At present, Putin may see Europe as hesitant and divided. Europe could overturn that perception. Even a serious, public discussion among European leaders about the deployment of troops could alter strategic calculations in Moscow.
Ultimately, Russia’s military must be defeated in Ukraine if this war is to end decisively. That may require direct European participation. Whether it is politically possible is another matter. European electorates are cautious, and leaders are wary of escalation.
Yet this moment demands steel, speed, decisiveness, and clarity of purpose from nations such as Britain, France, and Germany. It demands a change in mentality. Europe must decide whether it is prepared to match its rhetoric with action.
History rarely waits for those who hesitate.
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