Regardless of the outcome of the congressional elections, the pressure is now growing that the Europeans must take greater responsibility for the European war than before, writes ‘s foreign correspondent Mika Mäkeläinen.
The result of the US congressional elections was particularly tense in Ukraine, because Ukraine is so dependent on US military aid.
During the election, the most radical Republicans had threatened to end aid. Member of the House of Representatives elected from the state of Georgia Marjorie Taylor Greene announced (you will switch to another service)that Ukraine “will not get another cent”.
It’s the other way around. Greene did get to continue his laundry, but Ukraine will probably also get a continuation of the arms aid. And it’s not cents, but so far since the beginning of the war already $18.6 billion (switch to another service).
The exact allocation of seats in Congress is still open. However, Greene and his partners do not get to bully the Democrats or even the dissidents of their own party, because the so-called Trump-minded Maga Republicans (you switch to another service) the rush to Congress was slower than expected.
The terms of aid to Ukraine may be slightly tightened after the new US Congress takes office in January. However, Ukraine hardly needs to be very worried.
It can be deceptive in the long run.
Officially supporters of Ukraine are very optimistic. For example, the Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg assure (you switch to another service)that the NATO countries will support Ukraine as long as necessary.
In Stoltenberg’s opinion, the US election result has not changed the fact that support for Ukraine will continue to have solid support from both US parties.
In all democracies, however, politicians have to listen with a sensitive ear to the changing wishes of the electorate.
It is difficult to predict the duration of the war in Ukraine, so Western countries must prepare for a long and massive continuous support. It would require commitment over government terms and over parliamentary elections. In democracies, however, the wind of public opinion can change quickly and government terms can be short.
If the winter turns out to be tough, inflation is raging and gas bills are shocking, support for Ukraine will no longer be top of mind.
At least not in the US, very far from the front.
Ukraine has not remained idle to wait to see how the new Republican representatives who were elected to the Congress will offset the costs of Ukraine’s arms purchases in the future.
In December, a group of Ukrainian lawmakers plans to travel (you switch to another service) to Washington to counter the risk posed by the extreme ends of both parties—far-right Republicans and far-left Democrats—who may have a common interest in reducing aid to Ukraine.
At the same time, the Ukrainians are trying to be careful that the aid received by Ukraine does not become a project of the democratic party in the United States.
That is why Ukraine must agree to, for example, closer control over the use of weapons and apodollars, if the Republicans demand it.
It’s a bit grumpythat Ukrainian diplomats have to go further to the sea on a lobbying trip.
Individual neighbors of the bear, for example Estonia, have given a very large amount of aid to Ukraine in relation to their population. Of course, Europe has helped Ukraine a lot, but it could help more.
American Republicans in particular are pushing Europe to bear more responsibility. Trump-minded Republican elected senator from Ohio James D. Vance stated during his campaign (you switch to another service)that maybe the Europeans would finally get their act together if they knew that the United States would not accept the bill.
The European issue should be precisely the European issue. For the United States, intervening in a European war is already an exception to the extent that the United States’ attention and interest is above all threatened by China.
The next time the international aid received by Ukraine is to be coordinated next Wednesday in a virtual meeting of the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s under.
Behind the scenes, the US is no doubt pushing European defense ministers to supply more and more weapons and other aid to Ukraine.
Regardless of the outcome of the US congressional elections now pressure increases (you switch to another service) to the fact that the Europeans must take greater responsibility for the European war than before.