Dr. David Bennett argues that given the lack of current Anglo-French resolve that Sweden, Poland and Finland should expeditiously consider intervening militarily in the Russo-Ukrainian War to save both the Ukrainian people and Europe from Russian domination.

The recent Ukrainian drone attack (in June 2025) which destroyed millions of dollars’ worth of Russian military aircraft (43 nuclear capable bombers) may lead to an inaccurate perspective that Ukraine can win its war of independence without external military intervention.  Unfortunately, the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is tenacious, and he knows that time is ultimately on his nation’s side.  This is because Russia has a substantially larger population and military economy to draw on to replenish its military manpower and equipment losses so that the Russian Federation can eventually prevail militarily against Ukraine.

It will take Russia a long time to subdue a conquered Ukraine, but after Moscow has achieved this, Russia will be able to exploit Ukraine as a launching base to invade Central and Eastern Europe.  Because of the neo-isolationist policy of the United States, the possibility of an effective American military assistance to a Europe threatened by a Russian invasion is somewhat dubious.

The necessary European unity required to counter Russian invasions of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) continental nations will alas, be in considerable doubt as a result of a Moscow induced domestic political discord within NATO member states. Romania is currently a case in point where recent Russian disruption has brought that NATO nation to the brink of civil war.  Hungary is also of dubious resolve.

Social Action Australia (SAA) has previously advocated that France (‘Why France Must Lead the Struggle to Save Ukraine’) should take the lead in co-ordinating a direct European NATO military intervention in Ukraine against the Russian Federation to save the Ukrainian people.  Unfortunately. France is currently wracked by political instability as this nation is bedevilled by strong far-right and far-left forces which are both pro-Putin!

Even in Great Britain there is a potentially strong far-right political force in the form of Nigel Farage’s UK Reform Party which could displace the Conservative Party as the main opposition after the next British general election. Such an outcome could provide the basis for there eventually being a Farage led Euro-sceptic government which would probably allow Russia a free hand to re-assert its dominance in Central and Eastern Europe and very possibly go onto threaten Finland and the Scandinavian nations.

This preceding scenario of future Russian aggression in Europe following its ultimately probable conquest of Ukraine is as frightening as it is viable.  Consequently, Putin must be stopped now by direct foreign military intervention in the Russo-Ukrainian War before it is too late.  Although Britain is currently revamping its military nuclear deterrent, London (along with Paris) will not lead the charge to help save Ukraine via direct military intervention due to their previously cited respective domestic political weaknesses. 

The Trio of Nations

The three European nations (The Trio of Nations) which have the combined and current military capacity to expeditiously save Ukraine via direct military intervention should Russia launch a massive 2025 Spring Offensive are Sweden, Poland and Finland.  These three nations have distinct respective military strengths which if combined and co-ordinated could rescue the Ukrainian people and ultimately Central and Eastern Europe from Russian conquest.

Sweden is one of the world’s most technologically militarily advanced military forces.  This kingdom arguably has the world’s best fighter aircraft, the SAAB Grippen warplanes. Swedish naval power is also outstanding in that the Swedes possess very advanced non-nuclear sub-marines considered by many to be significantly superior to those of Russia.

It would be unfair to expect Sweden to alone directly militarily intervene to help save Ukraine should the Russian Federation launch a massive 2025 Spring Offensive.   Alternately, it would be naïve to expect either Britian or France despatch significant forces of ground troops as well as well as utilizing its naval and air power due to the respective political situations in both of these nations.

Therefore, Poland and Finland will hopefully join with Sweden to come to Ukraine’s defence. Both Poland and Finland have experience in fighting against Russian military aggression in the 1930s and 1940s. These two nations now have formidable armed forces, -which if soon deployed- in the context of advanced Swedish technological military technology being applied - could provide Ukraine with a conventional military advantage which Putin would not be able to overcome.

There is of course also the acute concern that if there is direct military intervention by foreign powers to save Ukraine, that Putin’s Russia will retaliate by unleashing its tactical nuclear weapons.  However, should this frightening scenario come to pass, then Britian and France would hopefully respond (in spite of domestic political divisions) in kind against Russia so that this should serve as a deterrent to Putin.

The best form of proactive maintenance to prevent Europe descending into nuclear conflict while at the time thwarting possible future Russian aggression in Europe by saving Ukraine is for The Trio of Nations to communicate their preparedness to directly militarily intervene to save Ukraine.  Such a communication could be the catalyst for Russia to quickly agree to an American mediated ceasefire as a prelude to an internationally negotiated peace settlement.

Europe in 2025 stands at a very similar position to that occupied by the British and French in 1938 as they contemplated the Nazi German demand for the surrender of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. The Allies were cowed by the prospect of a renewal of the warfare that had ended in 1918, and they missed their opportunity.

Had they been able to look back from the viewpoint of 1945, what decision would they have made? There is little doubt that had the Allies resisted the Nazis in 1938, at that point the French forces could have rolled into  Germany and brought the Nazis undone and as a result of that in 1945  they would not have been confronted with a powerful, dictatorial Soviet Union / Russia staring back at them from an Eastern Europe oppressed by an iron curtain spread across their continent. Nor would Europe have had to contemplate the almost incomprehensible carnage and destruction that had occurred in the war.

Europe is at a similar sliding door right now!

If the Russian / Ukraine War shows nothing else, it is that had NATO or even some of its members opposed Russia from the start they would have easily defeated the invaders. It is still possible to achieve that outcome now. The major reason for the timidity of NATO / Western Europe is their concern with the threat of Russia utilising its stockpile of nuclear weapons (allied to Putin’s belief that the NATO nations would never have the gumption to use such ordnance themselves).

If this is true, then NATO is doomed. If Russia succeeds in this belief, then they will use it to advance to ultimately recover its lost European empire. However, it is possible that a firm resolve by NATO now will terminate this Russian nuclear threat. If the Russian nuclear weapons threat is used successfully at this time, then it will continue to be used by Russia until they finally feel compelled to actually use it – and then all will be lost.

We are now at the equivalent of the 1938 Sudetenland opportunity.