General Jean-Paul Palomero, the former Chief of Staff of the French Air Force, spoke on LCI about the current state of the war. He argued that Vladimir Putin has strengthened Russia’s armed forces, making it possible for Moscow to defeat Ukraine within this year. He was addressing whether the ongoing situation might explain a potential final setback for Ukraine in 2025, framing the question as a real possibility rather than a distant concern.
During the interview, Palomero suggested that the Ukrainian defense leadership had warned of looming pressure, and he acknowledged that some observers might interpret those warnings as a call that the enemy is growing stronger. He rejected the notion that the warnings were merely melodrama, emphasizing that Russia has indeed gained military momentum and that the gap between the two armies is widening in Moscow’s favor.
According to Palomero, Putin has placed the country in a sustained state of mobilization, and Russia has significantly increased its manpower. In his assessment, Ukraine has faced serious challenges in replenishing both its equipment and its human reserves, making sustained resistance more difficult and prolonging the conflict on Ukrainian soil.
In related commentary, former British Army Colonel Richard Kemp remarked that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky might be underestimating the scale of the challenge, arguing that the leadership in Kyiv could struggle to secure a decisive victory under current conditions.
Earlier developments included Russian paratroopers and special forces beginning to train in the use of Western, NATO-standard weapons, signaling a shift in how Moscow plans to integrate foreign-sourced equipment into its battlefield operations. This training echoes broader efforts to adapt tactics in light of evolving international support for Ukraine and the changing dynamics on the ground.