Ian Proud, former British diplomat, says that European leaders are “terrified” of losing the war in Ukraine. They’re in full panic mode because the narrative they created about Ukraine is collapsing. Proud concludes that EU and British politicians hope to “keep kicking the can down the road” so others will face the consequences.1Ian Proud, “Why Europe Fears the End of the Ukraine War,” Countercurrents, October 24, 2026.
Undoing the official narrative will reveal that the U.S. and NATO provoked the war and all of those Ukrainian and Russian soldiers died as a result. Another fact that would emerge is that the origin of the war can be found in the Maiden coup of 2014 with the overthrow of the democratically elected Victor Yanukovych who wanted Ukraine to have a non-aligned foreign policy.2A comprehensive treatment can be found in, Thomas I. Palley, “The War in Ukraine — A History: How the U.S. Exploited Fractures in the Post-Soviet Order,” Monthly Review, (June 2025). Finally, it will become clear that Ukraine remains one of the most corrupt nations in the world and arguably, has no peer in this regard.
This denial of history has been crucial for Western propaganda. When the war ends, their rulers fear having to admit that they screwed up. People will say “Hold on a minute. You told us that we were winning and the Russians would be defeated. But they won and now we’re all poorer.” Note: Germany’s aid to Ukraine amounted to EUR 100 billion through August, 2026.3Kiel Institute. Ukraine Support Tracker, October 8, 2026.
The response is likely to be, “Well, now you must prepare to fight and die in a war against Putin’s Russia.” Why is this the case? Because there is no projected end for this conflict which was always about bleeding Russia on behalf of guaranteeing U.S. hegemony. That it’s failing in this particular case (and in Iran) should not obscure the fact that it’s part of the logic of capital accumulation on a global scale.
The European Deep State — the permanent bureaucracy — and its mainstream media were complicit in the U.S. project and will continue with a revised narrative that still attempts to portray Russia as bent on taking over Europe. This ongoing campaign benefits from the success of previous propaganda. We know that 76% of the European public maintain that the EU should continue support for Ukraine until a genuine and lasting peace settlement is achieved. An identical 76% view a Russian invasion as a direct threat to EU security and 70% want to maintain sanctions against Russia.4Standard Eurobarometer 105 – Spring 2026. In the U.S., while public sympathy for Ukraine remains high, support for further military aid has dropped to 46% with the largest drop among MAGA Republicans. See, YouGuv, October 14, 2026.
What next? Ukraine is falling apart and its citizens want a negotiated settlement. Their will is being ignored. Will the truth emerge? Will a radical social movement allow Europeans to gain control of their destiny, even as class consciousness in the U.S. remains more elusive than ever?
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