(MENAFN- UkrinForm) This opinion was expressed in a comment to Ukrinform by Stefan Meister, Head of the Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP).

"I believe that we are in a new reality of war. Russia is systematically destroying Ukraine's energy infrastructure, as well as other infrastructure, on a scale we have never seen before. In other words, Russia is in a different phase of the war, and this is a completely different type of terror against society and a way to defeat it, as they see it," the expert said.

Commenting on Russia's shelling of nuclear energy infrastructure, Meister noted that the Russians will always play the nuclear card, but at the same time, he is skeptical that the Russian Federation will go so far as to bomb nuclear power plants“just to make something explode.”

“But nothing can be ruled out when it comes to Russia; it has no limits. This is an indisputable fact,” the analyst noted.

He stated that Putin does not want a ceasefire, does not want to end the war peacefully. He wants to win the war and destroy Ukraine. And Putin feels that with Trump as U.S. President and a slow-moving Europe that may not be acting on the scale necessary to counter Russia, he can do it. The fact that the Russian army is managing to advance on the ground only convinces Putin that he is moving in the right direction.

“The fact that Russia is destroying more does not mean that it is changing its approach: Putin is seeking a kind of revenge; for him, it is personal. And that is why I do not see any stopping point now,” Meister said.

He added that Europe still hopes that Trump will take action, although the current U.S. President is not at all concerned about Ukraine. Meanwhile, some countries, particularly in Northern Europe, are doing more to support Ukraine. Germany is set to increase its support next year, but according to Meister, Berlin lacks a medium- and long-term strategy.

“We still haven't given Ukraine a long-term perspective, instead acting on a year-by-year basis, taking individual steps. And that's a problem,” the German analyst believes.

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He noted that Russia has increased its arms production to such an extent that it will have a lasting impact on its capabilities. Ukraine is also stepping up its efforts, but it requires a different level of involvement from Europe, including in terms of production, technology, and knowledge sharing.

“I just don't see Europe being able to do that right now, to be honest. And yes, cases of corruption in Ukraine only hinder this,” Meister concluded.

As reported, on the night of November 14, Russia carried out another large-scale combined strike on Ukraine. Air Defense Forces destroyed 405 drones and 14 missiles with which the Russians attacked Ukraine.

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