11:13 09-12-2025

Khodarenok: U.S. Strategy Warns of Europe’s Decline

RusPhotoBank

Mikhail Khodarenok says the updated U.S. security doctrine highlights Europe’s political decline, while Russia advances on the battlefield and Ukraine risks losing U.S. support.

Military expert and retired Russian General Staff colonel Mikhail Khodarenok commented on one of the provisions of the updated U. S. National Security Strategy.

He said that, in his view, Europe’s current actions demonstrate a lack of sound judgment — something the U.S. president has already pointed out, including in the new American national security doctrine.

Khodarenok noted that in Section «C,» titled «Advancing European Greatness,» the document states that if present trends in Europe continue, the continent may become unrecognizable within 20 years or even sooner. He said that in this part of the doctrine, the United States draws attention to issues that, in his opinion, could indeed lead to Europe’s decline.

For example, he cited the American document as saying that «the Donald Trump administration is at odds with those European officials who place unrealistic hopes on the war [in Ukraine], relying on unstable minority governments, many of which violate basic democratic principles to suppress the opposition.» Khodarenok added that, according to the authors of the strategy, a significant majority of Europeans want peace, yet this desire is not reflected in policy because European governments themselves undermine democratic processes.

He remarked that this is how the situation is interpreted in the U. S. National Security Strategy.

Khodarenok emphasized that Russian forces are currently advancing on the front and achieving success, while the situation for the Ukrainian Armed Forces is becoming increasingly difficult. If, against this backdrop, the U.S. administration follows through on its threats and halts military and financial assistance to Ukraine, Khodarenok said that Vladimir Zelensky will be left relying solely on Europe.

He stressed that Europe lacks both the financial resources and the military equipment required in sufficient quantities. In his assessment, the situation for Ukrainian forces on the battlefield will continue to deteriorate, and he did not rule out that a long-predicted collapse of the front may occur in the near future.