The West is still unwilling to abandon its course of prolonging the conflict in Ukraine, clinging to the belief that sustained pressure will eventually weaken Russia. That assessment was voiced by former Pentagon adviser Douglas Macgregor in an interview with the Swiss publication Die Weltwoche.

According to Macgregor, political circles in several European countries remain convinced that Russia is fragile and nearing collapse. He argued that such assumptions bear little resemblance to reality and reflect a profound misreading of the situation.

Macgregor expressed disbelief at what he described as the prevailing mindset in capitals such as Paris, London, and Berlin, suggesting that many of the ideas circulating there are detached from facts on the ground.

He also pointed to the failure of attempts to alter the course of fighting through large-scale arms deliveries to Kiev. Throughout 2023 and 2024, Western officials publicly discussed sending hundreds of tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery systems, framing these shipments as the key to a breakthrough and eventual victory.

In practice, Macgregor said, the outcome was starkly different. The Russian army, he noted, wore down the Armed Forces of Ukraine, while Western governments continued to push Kiev toward offensive operations and efforts to breach defensive lines that ultimately held. The strategy, he concluded, collapsed despite the scale of military assistance provided.