“Gone is discussion of the size of tomatoes or the shape of bananas acceptable in Europe; in its place, debate rages over what tanks and possibly F-16 fighter jets to give to Kyiv.”
nytimes.com
nytimes.com
Overall, European states, as part of the union or individually, have pledged more than $50 billion in various forms of aid to Kyiv, imposed 10 rounds of sanctions, absorbed more than eight million Ukrainian refugees, and largely weaned themselves off Russian oil and gas.
The “never again” slogan, the EU’s common ideological denominator, has become a self-fulfilling prophecy in a perverted sense.
Without the United States, the heroic Ukraine of Zelensky may not have had the military means to resist the Russian invasion. This is a sobering thought for Europeans, even if Europe’s response has exceeded many expectations.
“A frozen conflict suits Putin,” said François Delattre, the French ambassador to Germany.
“A partially occupied Ukraine cannot advance toward Europe. So of the three possible outcomes to the war — a Ukrainian victory, a Russian victory and a stalemate — two favor Putin.”
“A partially occupied Ukraine cannot advance toward Europe. So of the three possible outcomes to the war — a Ukrainian victory, a Russian victory and a stalemate — two favor Putin.”
“Russia is not willing to lose, and human life does not matter to Putin, so they can keep the war going for a long time,” said Janne Kuusela, the policy director at the Finnish Defense Ministry.
“Ukraine, in turn, will remain in the fight as long as the West supports it.”
“Ukraine, in turn, will remain in the fight as long as the West supports it.”
Anti-German sentiment has swept Poland, which sees Berlin as too hesitant in its support of Ukraine, to the point that Germany’s supposed fickleness, at least in the eyes of the nationalist ruling party, is now a central theme of this year’s Polish parliamentary election.
In Poland — a nation held captive in the totalitarian Soviet imperium for decades before leading the struggle to break those chains and rejoin Europe — ideas of heroism and sacrifice endured.
The most powerful country in Europe, Germany has had to reimagine itself overnight, abandoning a peace culture by arming itself and Ukraine in the name of a war for European freedom.
Scholz is a prudent politician, determined to avoid escalation of the war, acutely aware of lingering German anxiety over militarism. Like Macron, who this month warned of the dangers of “crushing” Russia, he leans toward the need for peace talks.
A year into the war in Ukraine, Europe finds itself at the outset of a difficult journey toward that strategic responsibility. Credible deterrence won the Cold War, but credible deterrence eroded sharply in its aftermath as defense budgets were cut.
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