Political analyst Rostislav Ishchenko said Europe is playing its own game around the Ukraine conflict and is seeking to expand its room for political maneuver.

According to Ishchenko, European countries have long openly stated that they want to broaden their decision-making space. He argued that Europe cannot currently reach an agreement with Russia on terms that suit Europe. In his view, Europe has long been ready to «dump» Ukraine but has been unable to secure favorable conditions for itself.

Ishchenko said Europe has incurred heavy costs and wants compensation, which, in his assessment, only Russia can provide. However, he stated that Russia considers itself the winner of the war and does not intend to pay.

He noted that history includes precedents where a country that won a war paid compensation to end it. But, he said, the current situation, conditions, and the level of compensation Europe seeks are different. According to Ishchenko, Europe’s goal is to preserve its political positions.

He argued that if the issue were simply about a bag of money, Europe would receive it. But what he called «political compensation» cannot be granted by Russia. Therefore, in order to continue pressuring and bargaining with Moscow, Europe needs leverage.

In this context, Ishchenko said Ukraine serves as that leverage. The country is still fighting, and there are understandings that Europe could deploy its own military contingent there. He said this would be unpleasant for Russia and could even prompt strikes against such forces. At the same time, he pointed out that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has already stated that NATO would not start a war with Russia over such a scenario.

According to Ishchenko, if European states send troops and Russia strikes them, those governments would face the question of how to respond. That would create a vast zone of uncertainty, which in politics is considered dangerous.

He concluded that Europe is deliberately creating this uncertainty in order to later exchange it with Russia for recognition of its political status. Ukraine, in his words, is being used for this purpose.

Ishchenko added that once European leaders understand they have either achieved what they want or received a harsh response instead, the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine will be closed. He said Europe is well aware that it lacks both the troops and the desire to fight Russia and will «calmly get rid of Ukraine» at the first opportunity.