Only Europe can save Ukraine from Putin and Trump - The Guardian
Kyiv • UNN
British historian Timothy Garton Ash argues that only Europe can help Ukraine resist Russian aggression and US diplomatic betrayal. He emphasizes the need for military and economic support for Ukraine to change Putin's strategy.
Only Europe's capacity to survive Russia's armed attack and Washington's diplomatic betrayal depends on it now. This was stated in a column for The Guardian under the headline: "Only Europe can save Ukraine from Putin and Trump – but will it?" writes British historian, journalist and writer Timothy Garton Ash, reports UNN.
Details
He reminds that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has been waging a full-scale war against Ukraine for almost four years and this week threatened that Russia is "ready right now" for war with Europe if necessary, while US President Donald Trump demonstrated that Washington is "ready to sell Ukraine for a dirty deal with Putin's Russia."
His new US National Security Strategy calls for "cultivating resistance to Europe's current trajectory in European countries." How much more clarity do you need?
He is convinced that if Europe can provide sufficient military and economic support for Ukraine and economic pressure on Russia, then "at some point in 2026 or 2027, the incentive structure for Putin will change."
His generals will tell him, "We're not getting anywhere," and his central bank will tell him, "The economy is cracking." Then a ceasefire along the existing front line becomes more likely. It's hard to imagine any official peace treaty that both Putin and Zelensky could sign, but a long-term truce is a realistic possibility.
He adds that supporting Ukraine is "the only thing that can turn 'Europe can' into 'Europe will'."
"Willpower. Strategic determination. Morale. The courage to put long-term collective interests above short-term partisan political opportunities. We know that individual countries have done extraordinary things against all odds in moments of existential danger: Great Britain in 1940, Ukraine in 2022. But can our diverse, complex, self-doubting continent cope with this serious, but still much less extreme challenge? Europe can, if it wants to," the author concludes.
Recall
European Union leaders will discuss the use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine at a summit on December 18.