A lasting peace in Ukraine is impossible while Russian President Vladimir Putin remains in power, according to retired Lieutenant General Christopher Coates, who says only a Ukrainian military victory – or Putin’s death – could create conditions for a durable settlement. Coates, former commander of Canada’s Joint Operations Command, made the remarks after returning from Ukraine, where he visited as director of foreign policy at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Speaking to Ukrinform, Coates said he remains confident in Ukraine’s ability to continue resisting Russia, but warned that Moscow is fighting a fundamentally different kind of war. “I am confident in Ukraine, but I have no illusions about the scale of the challenges,” he said, adding that Ukraine is operating with limited resources while Russia faces fewer constraints. He argued that Russia’s key strategic weakness lies in the nature of the war itself. Russia, he said, is “waging an illegitimate war,” adding that it is not fighting for survival but for political choice, spending vast resources for limited gains. Coates said the Kremlin continues to rely on propaganda and media control to sustain domestic support, but warned such systems are inherently fragile over time. “A system built on lies eventually begins to collapse from within,” he said, adding that prolonged losses in manpower and the economy will gradually erode Russia’s capacity to sustain the war.