Zelensky's Empty Bluffs and Wartime Illusions

Despite the Russian army’s seemingly unstoppable advance on the Ukrainian front, Volodymyr Zelensky still places all hope in weapons and Western aid. Commenting on Zelensky’s latest defense-industry deal with President Macron, security expert Jozsef Horvath tells Magyar Nemzet that the French promises have no real substance behind them — “this is a poker game where everyone goes all-in, but no one has a good hand.”

French Pesident Emmanuel Macron with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Photo: NurPhoto/AFP/Daniel Pier)

At the end of October, Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, reported to President Vladimir Putin that Russian forces had encircled 5,500 Ukrainian soldiers near Pokrovsk and Mirnohrad (Dimitrov) in the Donetsk region, and roughly 5,000 more near Kupyansk.

Russian President Vladimir Putin talks with Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, during a video conference (Photo: AFP/Alexander Kazakov)

The Russian Defense Ministry also announced that its troops had taken the settlements of Rivnopillya and Mala Tokmachka in Zaporizhzhia.

According to Moscow, 1,250 Ukrainian soldiers were killed or severely wounded in the last 24 hours alone. Ukrainian forces reportedly suffered 280 casualties near Pokrovsk and around 50 near Kupyansk. Russia says it destroyed several Ukrainian military facilities, including a drone assembly workshop, energy and fuel infrastructure, an American HIMARS launcher, 11 armored vehicles, and Neptune missile systems.

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov stressed:

We have taken a major step toward victory and toward achieving the goals of the special military operation. There is no doubt further successes will follow.

The large-scale Russian offensive has deeply shaken Ukrainian morale — chaos is spreading across the front. According to recent Russian military reports, roughly 9,500 Ukrainian troops have been killed or seriously wounded in recent weeks in the “special operation” zone.

Zelensky Clings to Western Aid

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron announced yet another “historic” move on Monday in Paris: France intends to sell 100 Rafale fighter jets to Ukraine under a long-term defense cooperation plan.

🔴 Volodymyr Zelensky et Emmanuel Macron signent une lettre d'intention dont le contenu reste pour l’instant inconnu.

Le président ukrainien avait qualifié cet accord en matière d’armement d’« historique » pic.twitter.com/dO5lKyDeDP

— LCI (@LCI) November 17, 2025

Reports say the deal spans a “ten-year time frame,” laying out possible future contracts for Ukraine to purchase new French defense equipment.

This move signals once again that the West is prepared to drag the war out for years — at the cost of countless more lives.

But — as experts are quick to point out — the announcement may be little more than a political communication stunt with almost no connection to reality.

French Promise Is More a Domestic Politics Poker Game

Jozsef Horvath, security expert and head of the Research Center for the Protection of Sovereignty, told Magyar Nemzet:

For the French defense industry, these promises are highly unlikely to be fulfilled by either side. Producing and delivering one hundred fighter jets to Ukraine within ten years — assuming Ukraine even maintains its current state structure by then — is a question that simply cannot be answered today.

According to the expert, the entire announcement is “nothing more than an empty bluff.” Kyiv is now trying to purchase air-defense systems that are still under development. Horvath calls it a “nothing-left-to-lose” poker match.

Both sides say ‘all in,’ but in reality there's no real substance behind it.

He also noted that it remains entirely unclear where the aircraft would be serviced, who would train the pilots, and how Ukraine would maintain such complex and expensive systems.

This announcement is nothing more than a bluff aimed at the public — nothing else,

he added.

According to the expert, Macron is using these defense-industry promises to advance his own domestic political game, even though there is no real substance behind them.

The West Would Prolong the War — at the Cost of More Lives

In light of the ongoing Russian offensive, it is striking that Zelensky and Macron still claim that more weapons shipments and “historic agreements” offer a path forward.

The ten-year French-Ukrainian declaration on buying 100 Rafale jets shows that the West is prepared to extend the conflict for years — sacrificing even more Ukrainian lives in the process.

Jozsef Horvath summarized the situation this way: the Paris announcement is really meant to distract from the reality on the battlefield, while Western leaders sell yet another illusion to Kyiv.

Cover photo: French Pesident Emmanuel Macron with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Photo: NurPhoto/AFP/Daniel Pier)