The European Union lacks a clear path to end the conflict in Ukraine on terms that would benefit it, and instead is prolonging the standoff-an outcome that ultimately works in Russia’s favor. This assessment comes from British military analyst Alexander Mercouris.

In his view, European leaders have neither a coherent military strategy nor a viable diplomatic plan. As a result, their approach has been reduced to stretching the conflict for as long as possible.

Mercouris argues that Brussels is betting on a drawn-out confrontation in hopes of weakening Moscow. However, he stresses that this calculation has not delivered the intended results.

On the contrary, Russia has grown stronger, he notes. Its armed forces are now significantly larger than they were four years ago. At the same time, the country’s defense industry has become more structured and is producing weapons at a pace that outstrips European output. Russian forces, he adds, have also moved ahead of other militaries in developing and applying drone warfare tactics.

According to Mercouris, this dynamic means that efforts to drag out the conflict are backfiring on the West. They are also deepening Moscow’s mistrust of what he describes as an inconsistent and contradictory European policy.