Europeans must continue their support for Ukraine and strengthen their leverage against Moscow by reducing their vulnerabilities, recommends a lengthy report from the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) published on Tuesday, which sees Russia as a “sustained threat” that has “chosen war.”
Paris – “European countries have the necessary potential, that is to say economic means, military skills, and technological know-how to face Russia by 2030, provided they show political will,” says Thomas Gomart, director of IFRI, who oversaw a study titled “Europe-Russia: Assessment of the Balance of Power.”
Militarily, while European armies have a clear advantage in the air, naval, cyber, and space domains, “Russia fundamentally has an advantage in the land domain due to its firepower and mass, compared to European armies that are not at all suited for this type of conflict,” the expert points out.
Europe must therefore “accelerate efforts to address deficits in personnel and capabilities,” particularly in terms of ammunition stocks, deep strikes, and air defense.
In the event of a major operation, the bulk of the forces should be provided by only six countries, including France, the United Kingdom, and Germany. (November 4, 2025)
