Europe has never been as dependent on Washington as it is now, a US media report has highlighted.
European Union allies have all found themselves firmly positioned “in Washington’s slipstream”, following directions from the Biden administration when it comes to the Ukraine conflict, the outlet stated. European allies are slavishly following the signals coming out of Washington regarding their next moves on the Ukraine conflict, added the report.
As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's recent visit to the US confirmed, Washington plans to continue using Kiev as a proxy for an indirect war against Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized. US assistance to Kiev is already on track to top $100Bln in 2022, and there is more where that came from. Biden is expected to sign off on an comprehensive spending bill in the coming days, after Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. The bill, worth nearly $1.7 trillion, funds the federal government through the 2023 fiscal year, ending on 30 September 2023. This spending bill includes nearly $45Bln in aid for Ukraine and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies.
One could say that, yet again, the proof is in the money, as Washington positions itself as intent on pursuing a dominant role in siphoning funds and funneling weapons to fan the flames of the Ukraine conflict. The 46th POTUS also signed off on sending to the Kiev regime the much-coveted Patriot missile-defense system.
'Reading Cues from Washington'
European Union leaders recently pledged billions more euros to prop up Kiev, clinching an agreement to unblock an €18Bln ($19Bln) package to Ukraine next year, circumventing a veto introduced by Hungary. However, they are left “reading cues from Washington” about what line of action to take in the coming months, the US media report emphasized.
France, for example, has delivered rocket launchers, Crotale (air defense batteries), and equipment to Ukraine and "will send more early next year", French President Emmanuel Macron said on 20 December. But the questions said to be at the back of the EU leaders’ minds are: how much more firepower is to be routed to Ukraine and where is the fine line which if we were to cross it would cause the conflict to escalate uncontrollably?
As European countries have relatively limited stocks of weaponry and ammunition, the regime in Ukraine is heavily dependent on Washington for military supplies. Accordingly, Zelensky opted for Washington as the destination of his first in-person visit earlier in December to plead the case for more weapons.
“The whole war effort has been a complex orchestra, but it’s been conducted from Washington,” the report quoted Rosa Balfour, director of international peace organization Carnegie Europe, as saying.
Mixed Messages
After US Army Gen Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during an appearance at the Economic Club of New York a month ago that a victory by Ukraine might not be achieved militarily, and that there may be a window for Kiev’s negotiations with Russia, the Biden administration went into damage-control mode, indicating that peace talks were not currently on the table.
However, at his joint press conference with US President Biden at the White House, Zelensky claimed “there can’t be any just peace” in Ukraine, pressuring Washington to provide even more weapons and cash to his regime. The Ukrainian leader’s words flew in the face of a remark delivered by Biden just minutes prior, in which the US president insisted Zelensky was “open to a just peace”.
Moscow has repeatedly indicated that it is ready for talks, but Kiev has imposed a ban on them at the legislative level, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov underscoring that it was "obvious that Kiev is not ready for dialogue."
Furthermore, there have been growing fears in the White House that a substantial number of Republicans may no longer be ready to write any more "blank checques" to Ukraine when the new Congress convenes in January.
Within Europe, commitment to aiding Ukraine and sanctioning Russia has come at a heavy price. The continent is in the midst of an unprecedented and largely self-inflicted energy crisis after restricting the purchase of Russian oil, gas, coal and electricity to “punish” Moscow for its military operation in Ukraine. Restrictions have triggered a sharp increase in energy costs, and threaten the region with deindustrialization. This has prompted citizens in countries such as Germany and the Czech Republic to protest against the sanctions that have been fueling the cost of living crisis. Therefore, further military and monetary aid to Ukraine, which can only prolong the conflict, may serve to exacerbate the tensions and fuel more popular resentment.
Whenever blame for the ongoing conflagration is placed at Moscow's door, as has been repeatedly the case on the part of Washington and its allies among the so-called collective West, President Vladimir Putin has reiterated the fact that his country is open to talks with all stakeholders on a peaceful conflict settlement in Ukraine. However, they have so far refused to negotiate.
"The policies of our geopolitical opponents, aimed at splitting up Russia, are at the root of the Ukrainian conflict," the Russian president explained.