RECKONING

Ukraine Dispatch

Overview by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

November 2025

President Zelenskyy writes:

It is not Europe that is at war with Russia; it is Russia that is at war with Ukraine – and potentially with many in Europe. We understand what they are capable of and what they might do, but Europe fears the word “escalation.” And Europeans always assume that, because they are developed states that respect law and values, Europe’s steps – any response from them – will be an escalation.

And I believe the opposite: Russia does not like weakness. Any intellectual responses – precisely the kind Europe finds – read as weakness to Russia. Weakness creates a certain Russian flavor. The Russians sense that weakness, and they want, while no one is strong enough yet to pressure them, to inflict damage and take some extra gain for themselves. In Ukraine’s direction, that gain looks like preventing Ukraine’s development, destroying our identity, and taking our land – in short, political gains. In the energy sphere – Slovakia, Hungary, Eastern Europe, and Germany as well – the aim is to keep everyone permanently hooked on their energy.

Weakness does not produce dialogue with Russia. To the Russians, it is simply weakness – and that means they can impose their narratives. That is what is happening. So, to answer the question: what are all these violations of European airspace by drones across different countries – they are tests. Tests of Europe, tests of its responses: all of Putin’s drone attacks are probes to see what they are capable of. A test of how America will respond to the current threat to European NATO members. There’s no smoke without fire, and I believe all these probes are dangerous for Europe’s integrity.

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13 November 2025

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© 2025 Kenneth Thomas Webb

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