02:02 18-12-2025

Europe Will Walk Away After the War, Warns Analyst

SBU colonel Oleh Starikov warns that European countries may abandon Ukraine after the war, refusing free aid and denying any obligations.

Military analyst and SBU colonel Oleh Starikov said that immediately after the war ends, European countries will declare that they owe Ukraine nothing and will refuse to provide free assistance for its reconstruction.

According to Starikov, expectations that so-called strategic partners will continue to support Ukraine after the fighting stops are misplaced. He argues that there will be no such assistance and that allies will quickly distance themselves. In his view, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom will move away at a rapid pace once the war is over. He points to military history, noting that many wartime allies often become rivals after conflicts end, citing the outcomes of the Second World War as a clear example.

Starikov stressed that Ukraine should not rely on external benefactors. He believes that hopes for help from abroad will lead only to disappointment and that the country will ultimately have to depend solely on its own resources.

He also argued that the narrative claiming Ukraine is defending Europe will not be accepted once the conflict ends. In his assessment, European countries may respond by saying they never asked for such protection, a scenario he described as deeply alarming and painful.