Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Paris, November 17, 2025 (Sarah Meyssonnier/AFP)
Ukraine War, Day 1,363: France’s 100 Fighter Jets for Kyiv
UPDATE, NOV 19:
I joined France 24 English on Wednesday for an 11-minute analysis of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
I outline Vladimir Putin’s ongoing tactics of trying to force Kyiv’s capitulation through deadly aerial attacks on civilian areas and energy infrastructure, as Russia’s ground assaults make only gradual progress.
I consider the difficulties for the Kremlin, as constraints on the economy tighten amid the costs of the invasion, Ukraine’s counter-attacks, and sanctions.
And I explain how Putin’s approach has backfired, spurring Europe rather than dividing it with the abandonment of Ukraine.
ORIGINAL ENTRY, NOV 18: I joined Poland’s TVP World on Tuesday to analyze the latest military, political, and economic developments around Vladimir Putin’s 46-month full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
I begin with the challenges for Ukraine, as President Volodymyr Zelensky obtains more commitments of military, energy, and economic support from European partners. I highlight Russia’s escalating effort to break the energy grid and its gradual advances in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Then I turn to the challenges for Putin, as Russia’s economy slows and faces a tightening vise of sanctions. Could the “window” for his legacy project, the conquering of Ukraine, be no more than 6 to 12 months?
I speak fully and frankly about the significance of the corruption scandal in Ukraine, and the priority for the Zelensky Government to rectify the damage inflicted on the Ukrainian people.
I close with a reminder:
As long as Ukraine stands, as long as Europe stands — this idea that Putin has won and that everything is lost, I’m not going to buy that.
