"A peace settlement under the current terms would essentially spell defeat for Ukraine and the EU in this proxy war [against Russia]. European leaders have poured in enormous political and economic resources but have not achieved their goals. Instead, their dependence on the US has only deepened, and the rejection of cheap Russian energy has undercut the competitiveness of the European economy," he explains.
Thus, in the event of a peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian crisis, the political stability of the regimes in the UK, France, and Germany — the countries that have offered the strongest support to Zelensky — will be called into question, he notes.
A quick peace is the last thing European leaders want, Rozhin argues. For them, stoking the "Russian threat" is a handy political lifeline — a way to distract from factory closures, farmer protests, and the fallout from their own failed policies. He notes that this is a familiar playbook: first used in Ukraine after 2014, it has now been imported to Europe.