He made the remarks in an interview with the BBC.According to Dragone, from an operational perspective, the current phase of the war is marked by minimal advances by both sides. He stressed that “it was almost time to sit and talk because it's a waste of lives.”Nevertheless, the admiral emphasized that Moscow has already suffered a strategic defeat. He noted that Russia’s 2022 invasion led to NATO expansion, with Finland and Sweden joining the Alliance.“They will not get a friendly or puppet government like in Belarus. Putin will not succeed,” Dragone said.When asked whether European countries are ready to continue supporting Ukraine’s defense, he answered affirmatively. He said the war has been a wake-up call for Europe, which is now taking greater steps to strengthen its own defense.Despite no signs that Russia is changing course in the war, and despite indications that some alliance members, including Slovakia and Hungary, are increasingly opposed to supporting Ukraine’s defense, Admiral Dragone ended on a positive note.“The alliance is stronger than our adversaries, and we will stay with Ukraine up to the day that peace will break out,” he concluded.On October 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia reportedly has no intention of attacking NATO or European Union countries and is ready to formalize this position in future security guarantees.