General Robert Brieger, until June the chair of the European Union’s Military Committee, offered a grim assessment of the Ukraine war during an interview with Austria’s public broadcaster Ö1 on Saturday. The former chief of staff of the Austrian Armed Forces said a rapid peace deal remains improbable, warning that negotiations could stretch on for months, even years.
Brieger acknowledged former U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest initiative as the most serious peace effort in recent memory, but said it also bolsters Russian President Vladimir Putin’s standing. Key issues—security guarantees for Kyiv, territorial concessions, and Ukraine’s long-term status—remain unresolved.
He welcomed improved ties between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and praised Europe’s involvement in talks, though he stressed Europeans must contribute more. Security guarantees, he said, would likely mean strengthening Ukraine’s own forces. Another option—a peacekeeping mission with a formal mandate—would require Russia’s consent, which he called unlikely. A reconstruction or demining force, he added, might be more acceptable to Moscow.
Brieger warned that any loss of Donbas territory would be a severe blow to Ukraine, and doubted Kyiv could retake Russian-held ground militarily, given Moscow’s numerical advantage. Yet yielding to Russia’s demands outright would amount to capitulation. Ukrainians, he said, have chosen a Western future and deserve sustained support, since they are defending both their own country and Europe. For that reason, he argued, rearming Europe must be “an absolute priority.”
Turning to Austria, Brieger said the country faces no immediate conventional threat but greater hybrid risks. Neutrality, he argued, only carries weight if backed by credible defenses. He urged an open debate on Austria’s status: “Neutrality by itself is no protection. It requires military strength to be credible.”
