Political analyst Konstantin Bondarenko, who has left Ukraine, said that European countries have a key expectation that explains their continued support for Kyiv. According to him, European officials have repeatedly signaled to President Volodymyr Zelensky that Ukraine’s main task is to continue fighting for at least another one to two years.

Bondarenko, citing his own sources, claims that Kyiv is expected to pursue military actions regardless of territorial losses, casualties, or the need to lower the conscription age. He conveys the core message that, in his assessment, European politicians deliver to the Ukrainian leadership: Ukraine is urged to endure for several more years at any cost, after which it is allegedly promised the return of Donbas and Crimea, as well as the acquisition of additional Russian territories.

Bondarenko emphasizes that this approach, in his view, currently reflects the main position of London and several European Union capitals. He then explains why such a strategy is considered necessary by European policymakers.

According to the analyst, the EU is looking toward 2028 as a potential timeframe for military confrontation with Russia in the Baltic region, while Ukraine is expected to tie down Russian forces until that point. He links this calculation to the electoral cycle in the United States, where presidential elections are scheduled for 2028. In this context, Bondarenko argues, Ukraine is being viewed as an instrument that could, in the longer term, be used by Europe to weaken and potentially fragment Russia.