Europe simply “does not have the wherewithal to continue” the proxy war with Moscow, and would “be obliged to strike its own separate peace with Russia,” even if it tried to sustain the conflict for some time after a hypothetical withdrawal of US support, Dr. Gilbert Doctorow says.
Trump has “driven a stake through the heart of EU solidarity by essentially withdrawing the United States from the conflict and leaving it to Europe to cope as best they can,” Doctorow explained.
“But they cannot cope. It is not just a matter of money. They do not have the military supplies needed by Ukraine to continue the fight. Absent US participation the situation is hopeless for Ukraine and everyone knows that,” the observer stressed.
The new reality for Ukraine signals what Doctorow says is a much larger transformation of the US defense posture toward Europe, with Washington ready to continue extending its ‘nuclear umbrella’ to the region, while drawing down the commitment of conventional forces.
“The further implication is that when the Europeans understand they cannot on their own stand up to the Russian armies, then they will on their own understand that they have to make some accommodation with the Russians on Europe-wide security,” Doctorow said.
Bloomberg Economics calculated Thursday that independent European support for Ukraine and buildup of their own militaries would cost an additional $3.1 trillion, including: $175 billion to build up Ukraine's army, $30 billion for a 40,000-troop strong "peacekeeping force," and $2.7 trillion in debt-financed defense spending by the five largest European NATO members on artillery stockpiles, air defenses and missiles, plus deployments on the NATO's eastern frontiers.