– This will probably be a generational battle. Say it will last for 30, 40 or 50 years, said Michael Clarke, a professor at King’s College London and an expert in defense studies.

That statement came up during the question round with Sky News‘ reader.

– It’s about existential struggle. The Russians believe that Ukrainians have no right to exist, and they are not going to change their minds anytime soon.

Clarke therefore believes that the war in Ukraine could become an “eternal conflict” until something changes either in European security or in Russia.

– Can Ukraine win this war? Yes. But they must live in armed peace and with neighbors ten times greater than those who wish them no good.

– It’s been a generational struggle

Professor Sven G. Holtsmark in the Department of Defense Studies at Norwegian Armed Forces College, told Dagbladet that it is impossible to say anything definite about what the world will look like in one year, let alone in 50 years.

– There are so many unknown factors in the world that no one has the ability to predict them. But the struggle of generations, this is already.

Holtsmark points out that Russia’s war against Ukraine has ended an era in European history. The long postwar period has ended.

– We know we’re into something new, but we still don’t know what it is, he said.

Generational struggle is an expression used for something that shapes and defines the experience of reality across generations – in the same way that World War Two became a defining experience for all generations who lived during that war, explains Holtsmark.

– It describes a defining experience for many. Historical events that shaped entire generations. And I have no doubt that what we are seeing now is the end of something. But above all, this was the beginning of something that will become the most important point of reference for the generation of Europeans living today.

Many consequences

Holtsmark believes that Europe will look back on our present period, as a period in which fundamental changes occurred on our continent. The security arrangements that had existed since the 1975 Helsinki Treaty, which stipulated that Europe’s borders were inviolable, have been overturned by Russia.

– It has become an important pillar in post-war Europe. The fact that it had now collapsed and disappeared would have many subsequent consequences. For example, we can already confirm that future European energy supplies will not be on the same basis, says Holtsmark.

– Can last decades

However, he would not dare speculate on the duration of the war.

– But nothing prevents us from imagining that we have a state of war between Ukraine and Russia in the foreseeable future. There is still an official war between South and North Korea, and it has been decades since that war has become a hot war every day. But the state of war still exists. And we also know how long the conflict between Israel and Palestine has been going on, he said, adding:

– So such a conflict can go on for decades after decades, but then we are in a future we don’t know about.

Expert: This could involve NATO

We don’t know, for example, what kind of regime there will be in Russia in the next few years, or what political developments in the US will be, the professor said.

– There are many unknown factors. The only thing we know is that sooner or later these wars and conflicts will take a turn that no one can predict now.

Endless

Like the British professor, Holtsmark also saw the war not coming to an end. This is also true if Ukraine turns out to be pushing Russia back to the start on the battlefield.

– Ukraine’s condition, at absolute minimum, is to regain all the territories that Russia has conquered since February 24. Putin chose to close the door to this solution when he incorporated four Ukrainian districts into Russia a few weeks ago. So it’s hard to see how Russia can accept Ukraine’s victory, in the sense that it leads to some sort of end to the war on Ukraine’s terms.

Therefore, one can imagine that Russia will be pushed back to its borders, but the war will continue, precisely because a peace treaty is impossible for Russia, he explained.

– The only thing that can end this war now is the victory of Russia. But the West won’t allow it, because it means Ukraine disappears as an independent nation, so it’s unlikely to end there either, Holtsmark said.