European leaders are talking openly about preparing for war with Russia, a move one analyst calls desperate and dangerous rather than strategic.

• UK military and political figures say Britain needs to go on a "war footing" and have a blunt talk with the public about fighting Russia directly.
• The reasoning in Europe: a battle-hardened Ukraine backed by a lingering US presence could be used to weaken Russia permanently, but if the war is lost, Europe is left facing an angrier Russia with no Ukraine buffer.
• Europe's economies are already hurting from cutting off Russian energy and pouring money into the war, and some leaders are using the conflict to crack down on political opposition at home (labeling rival parties as extremist, using courts against opponents).
• Russia is described as militarily stronger now than at the start of the war four years ago, while European countries have struggled to build up their own armies or get citizens to volunteer to fight.
• The US may be pulling back focus from Europe toward Asia and the Western Hemisphere, adding to European leaders' sense of panic about losing American backing.

Outlook: No clear plan exists for how Europe would actually defeat Russia militarily, so expect more aggressive rhetoric and mobilization talk without a realistic path to victory.