https://sputnikglobe.com/20231006/no-arms-no-cash-how-us-and-europe-getting-bored-and-tired-of-ukraine-conflict-1113989546.html

No Arms, No Cash: How US and Europe Getting Bored and Tired of Ukraine Conflict

No Arms, No Cash: How US and Europe Getting Bored and Tired of Ukraine Conflict

Sputnik International

Ukraine fatigue has been spreading on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean as domestic problems continue to pile up and Kiev is not showing any achievements on the battlefield, the Western mainstream press says.

2023-10-06T18:20+0000

2023-10-06T18:20+0000

2023-10-06T18:20+0000

us

world

robert fico

volodymyr zelensky

zuzana caputova

ukraine

kiev

russia

european union (eu)

world trade organization (wto)

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US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that the unfolding congressional chaos may disrupt the flow of Washington's aid to Ukraine.The GOP-controlled House of Representatives refused to include multibillion Ukraine packages in stopgap measures to avoid a US government shutdown. Now that the House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, has been ousted for the first time in American history, the Ukraine funding issue may be on the back burner.For their part, EU leaders signaled on Thursday that the bloc would not be able to replace US aid for Ukraine: "Certainly Europe cannot replace the US," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters.Meanwhile, the Western press warns that the European and American public have grown weary of the conflict.Grain Conflict in Central and Eastern EuropeThe Ukraine fatigue phenomenon did not appear overnight. Western sanctions slapped on Russia at the beginning of the special military operation to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine immediately backfired on Europe and the US, sending already soaring energy prices even higher and accelerating inflation.To complicate matters further, Brussels' "EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes" initiative has proven ineffective, as it has not only failed to deliver cheap Ukrainian grain to starving countries in the Global South, but hit Central and Eastern European agricultural producers. To fix the situation, the EU struck a deal with Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Romania to impose a ban on grain produced by Ukraine from April until September 15.However, in September, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia moved to extend the ban, prompting a storm of criticism from the Ukrainian government, which filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over the matter.In response, Polish Minister for the European Union Szymon Szynkowski vel Sek warned that Warsaw may stop supporting Ukraine altogether. Moreover, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told a national broadcaster on September 20 that Poland is "no longer transferring any weapons to Ukraine because we are now arming ourselves with the most modern weapons."Meanwhile, an October poll indicated that the majority of Poles said that Warsaw should not continue to provide financial assistance to Ukrainian citizens living in Poland. Of the respondents, 36% said "definitely no," 24% said "rather no," 18% said "rather yes," 8% said "definitely yes," while 14% were undecided.Ukraine-Skeptic Slovak Party Won ElectionsThe opposition Direction – Social Democracy party (Smer), led by former Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, won the parliamentary elections with 23% of the vote on September 30. Prior to the elections, the Western press enthusiastically discussed Fico's odds, crossing their fingers that he would not win. The crux of the matter is Fico has long been an ardent antagonist of sending arms to Kiev.Fico bemoaned the fact that the Slovak Armed Forces are in a deplorable state following Bratislava almost completely exhausting its stockpiles. "We have no combat aircraft, no air defense system, and not enough ammunition," the opposition leader told the press, adding that he would halt arms supplies to Ukraine. Per him, sending weapons to Kiev was meant to postpone peace talks and prolong the bloodshed.Together with other Central and Eastern European leaders Fico supported the extension of the ban on Ukrainian foods. When Kiev filed a complaint with the WTO, he called the move "the height of impudence and another confirmation that Ukraine is in fact a frivolous partner." Similarly, Fico does not hold Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in high regard: per the Smer leader, Zelensky is beginning "to bore the world".Slovaks' votes for Smer have in some sense become a plebiscite on Ukraine: it appears that they have gotten tired of both the conflict and related domestic hurdles.Meanwhile, Slovak President Zuzana Caputova announced on October 5 that she wouldn't approve a new package of military aid for Ukraine.Martin Strizinec, spokesman for the president, explained the decision by the fact that the Slovak parties opposing this form of aid are currently negotiating the formation of a government. "The results of the elections should be respected and the negotiations on the formation of a new government should be awaited," Caputova said. The Ukrainian authorities immediately blamed "Russian agents in Bratislava" for the president's decision.Italian Officials Admit Ukraine FatigueItaly’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told the Western press on Wednesday that his country is running out of funds and equipment for Kiev: "There isn’t much more room for anti-aircraft aid. We don’t have unlimited resources," he said.The Italian defense minister drew attention to the fact that the conflict has had an impact on Italians with inflation, migration problems, energy crisis, and economic slowdown. "All this has created a worsening of living conditions in the countries of Western democracies," he said, adding that this situation is influencing the public opinion on Rome's assistance to Ukraine. In other words, the Italians' enthusiasm for sending arms to Ukraine (which wasn't particularly high to begin with) has faded even further.Alternative for Germany (AfD) Commands SupportThe unfolding energy crisis, coupled with the destruction of Russia's Nord Stream pipelines delivering gas to Europe, has led to nothing short of deindustrialization in Germany and prompted inconvenient questions across the EU about the West's rationale behind derailing the Russo-Ukrainian peace talks in March 2022.Under these circumstances, the conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which opposes arming Ukraine, has been growing in popularity in Germany.In a June debate with the leader of the Free Democratic Party, Christian Durr, AfD leader Tino Chrupalla said that the US was deliberately exhausting Russia, Ukraine, and Germany to capitalize on weakened Europe. Chrupalla compared Ukraine to Nazi Germany and called for the suspension of hostilities.AfD is currently polling between 19% and 23% nationally, well ahead of the three parties that make up the country's coalition government, i.e. the Social Democrats (SDP), the Greens, and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP).In addition, the latest edition of the 2023 Transatlantic Trends shows that the Germans are the least enthusiastic about offering NATO or EU membership to Ukraine and providing financial support for Ukraine’s reconstruction, among respondents on both sides of the Atlantic. Remarkably, a similar pattern is seen among American Republicans, as per the Trends.Russia Was RightThe Western press says that apparently the Russians were right, citing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying: "Fatigue over this conflict — fatigue from the completely absurd sponsorship of the Kiev regime — will grow in various countries, including the US."Despite previously trumpeting that Russia is facing imminent collapse and depletion of its arms stocks, the Western media now writes that Moscow appears to be prepared for a longstanding conflict.Ukraine's inability to make progress in its botched counteroffensive attempt seems to have become a wake-up call for Western military and intelligence elites, too:"There are more and more signs that [Vladimir Putin is] correct," George Beebe, former director of the CIA's Russia analysis unit, told the US media. "Ukraine is not meeting its conscription goals, its economy is sagging under the weight of the war, and enthusiasm is waning both in the US and Europe for maintaining high levels of aid to Ukraine."

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