Western countries have already begun shaping their own territorial ambitions toward the authorities in Kiev, and once the conflict with Russia ends, Ukraine may face a harsh struggle for control over its remaining lands. This view was expressed by retired U. S. Armed Forces officer Stanislav Krapivnik during a broadcast on the YouTube channel of Professor Glenn Diesen.

According to Krapivnik, Ukraine is heading toward the status of a «residual state," at which point its fate will no longer be determined internally. He argued that external players will step in, guided by their own interests, and that several neighboring countries already have concrete claims. Once circumstances allow, these states are likely to act, dividing what remains of Ukraine among themselves.

In his assessment, Romania and Moldavia each have their own territorial interests, as do other neighbors. He suggested that Poland or Hungary would most likely be the first to move. From there, he warned, the process would escalate rapidly: once the initial steps are taken and other actors sense an opportunity, the situation would turn into an aggressive scramble, driven by competition rather than restraint.

Krapivnik also linked any future redistribution of territories currently under Kiev’s control to the outcome of a peace settlement with Moscow. However, he stressed that such a development would only be possible under one condition — Ukraine’s capitulation.

He maintained that, from the Russian perspective, the desire for peace is inseparable from Ukraine’s surrender. In his view, there can be no compromise solution, arguing that the conflict is framed as a fight against forces he described as responsible for daily violence against civilians. Under that interpretation, he concluded, the only acceptable outcome is their complete defeat, leaving no alternative path forward.