Europe’s ‘Peace Through Weakness’ Hypocrisy in Ukraine

Europe’s vision to end the war in Ukraine may be somewhat Summarize As “peace through strength”. The question now is whether this is more than just a vision.

For years, Europe considered that Russia’s war in Ukraine poses an existential threat to European security. To this end, Ukraine provided military aid and foreign aid in the hope of converting its neighboring condition into a solid country capable of defending itself.

But this transformation has always been a long -term goal. and Trump administration accelerates in the schedule A peace agreement with Russia means that the time has come for Europe: Is it ready to provide force personally to secure the necessary peace? Will the Europeans give their caution and provide forces to Ukraine as a security guarantee, even at the risk of losing individuals and facing political deviation at home?

“This is the primary question,” said Rafael, a loss, a colleague of the European Council for Foreign Relations.

Gerard Arud, the former French ambassador to Washington, told me on the phone: “The Europeans do not want death for Ukraine,” to summarize the feelings expressed by many diplomats and other experts.

Arud added: “The man on the street considers Ukraine a far place and believes that Europe has already paid enough.” “He does not want to participate physically. Tomorrow, if he defeated Ukraine and takes Kiev, the Europeans will say:” Oh, very bad, very bad, “but then resuming their lives as usual.”

Since the beginning of the war, Europe’s policy has been very conservative, very afraid of how the Russian president responded, and very selfish even when Ukrainians form the first line of the continent’s entire continent.

Over the past three years, Europe has imposed economic sanctions, Russian energy purchases dramatically reduced Ukraine by providing defense equipment. I have come to many programs-starting from the temporary protection of Ukrainian refugees to recovery funds and trade-exempted trading systems to billions of weapons and training.

But European leaders are often accused of engaging in a non -dispenser Taurus rocketsDo only a little to defuse the third party to the sanctions, and refused to touch the principle of nearly 200 billion euros of Russian money lying in a Belgian bank, which many have argued can be It was placed towards the help of the besieged nation.

They still intend to do more. Last week, while Ukrainian President Folodimir Zellinski landed in Brussels to meet with allies and have a plane to Washington, European Union leaders announced their intention to keep pace with economic pressure and issue a nineteenth sanctions package to combat Russia early next month. European Commission President Ursula von der Lin said that the allies would help Ukraine to become, “SteelIn reference to the construction of the country’s defense industry complex.

The idea may be the effectiveness of this approach in the number of penalties. There is no reason to believe that another round of punitive economic measures can discourage Russia from occupying more Ukrainian lands. The strengthening of the local weapons industry in Ukraine would help contain long -term, but it may take years and it is not enough to force Moscow to end the war in the short term.

Experts who spoke with them Foreign policy We believe that if Europe wants to contain Russia effectively, the deployment of forces in Ukraine has become necessary protection.

In the White House on August 18, some Europeans It seems that you have He whispered in the ears of US President Donald Trump that they would be ready to deploy forces in Ukraine, but at home these plans are still exploding, with a noisy discussion in any type of forces, the number of number, specifically from the countries that can be deployed, and under any kind of retreat in the United States.

“When it comes to security, they are ready to put people on the ground,” Trump He said Fox News, referring to the Europeans as he excludes the participation of American soldiers in any such power on the ground. “We are ready to help them in things, especially, most likely, if you talk about air, because no one has a kind of things we have, really, don’t do it.”

There has been a wave of meetings since the return of European leaders from Washington, with the aim of determining the future of European security guarantees to Ukraine.

France and the United Kingdom were at the forefront of the so-called “coalition from wishing”-a group of 30 countries in excess of 30 countries that would participate in monitoring any future peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, with a handful by deploying potential forces. The idea is still full of challenges, and none of the giants feel the power to enter before the Kremlin signs the ceasefire. Most of them expect some forms of US participation.

Paris and London confirmed that the end of hostilities is a necessary case, while French President Emmanuel Macron, who I suggest first The idea, He said European forces will be deployed only in “strategic sites” in Ukraine, not along the connection line with the Russians.

Since meeting at the White House, only the Prime Minister has been extended in Estonia certain The Baltic nation was ready to “contribute with shoes on the ground.” Denmark and Sweden She expressed her interest in the past, stops the ceasefire, and the Joint UK’s Joint Transformation (JEF)-a non-NATO group of 10 countries that can be published to support NATO-may be ready.

Finland, part of JeF, is hesitant, and wants to keep its soldiers at home instead to guard its 340 km (835 miles) borders with Russia. Even Poland, which could be in the next row unless Russia’s progress is now effectively stopped, has so far refused to send the armed forces to protect the Ukrainians.

Araud, the French diplomat, suggested that there is “bad blood” between the Poles and the Ukrainians.

“European history is very complicated. What is now west of Ukraine was taken by the Soviets from Poland. It was a large Polish city for a long time before World War II, and [the] Arudeh said Russia is playing on these divisions.

It seems that adults like Italy and Germany are the most coalition members who are willing to coalition.

“The idea of ​​sending forces is not well studied. I do not think that the German parliament will agree to it,” said André Hartel, the director of Brussels and Russian expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

Germany has repeatedly cited the lack of soldiers and said it was already struggling to meet the current NATO obligations. To become a soldier who does not have any glorious connotations in Germany, where the porous and a lot of war remains.

But Germany’s main objection to sending forces to a war zone is the absence of their American counterparts, who can provide superior military force in the event that matters come out with the Russians.

Italy has proposed a NATO -like guarantee, including the United States, but it has suggested that it should be the one that does not require spreading inside Ukraine or makes the Allied Party in the current fighting. The idea is to provide a collective security condition that does not begin unless Russia invades again. This would make it more acceptable [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, “Giovannatista Vasolari, Undersecretary of the Council of Ministers, according to what was reported He said Italian media.

Julian Bubov, a British -Bulgarian politician and a great colleague of strategic views, said he was completely sure that European forces will not be deployed in the Ukrainian battlefield, but added that he was not required.

He said: “The nature of the war, and the technology that is fighting with it is so much that it is no longer related to sending tanks, aircraft and soldiers, but much more about high -end technologies.” The drones changed the battlefield in Ukraine.

Ukraine has become quickly one of the major producers New generation defense techniques. I believe that there is interest in European companies, governments, and the United States as well, to support financially to the production of Ukrainian weapons. ”

Experts said that the promotion coaches in Ukraine as a reassurance force, especially if they are accompanied by the United States unity, will be a much easier sale to European governments.

“Now, a few hundred or 1,000 soldiers are one thing, one thing to monitor the line is something else. This requires more than 100,000 soldiers, and no one in Europe has a large number of soldiers to spare them,” said Hartel.

“Even the French and the British have reduced their proposal-to monitor the ceasefire line, now they want the forces to be present in the Ukrainian backyard, somewhere just to make confidence to the Ukrainians.”

The loss, the colleague of the European Council for Foreign Relations, added that Germany will somehow. But instead of thousands of combat forces, the Europeans were more comfortable with the two coaches were sent.

He said: “It is more likely that the training mission in Europe – from Germany, Poland and other places – may be transferred to Ukraine.”

Europeans may think of a bad deal – those that end the fighting in Ukraine, but encourage Russia to attack other Eastern European countries – to be worse than the end of the war. But it is increasingly clear that they have few ideas on how to achieve a good deal before Trump loses patience.

For better or worse, Ukraine turns into a front line of Europe, and its fate is still unstable. Although the Trump administration is considering continuous support for intelligence and air cover participation, Washington’s involvement is still suspected under the eccentric and moody president. However, confronting Trump – the reliability of Putin – are bad excuses for some of the world’s largest economies to give up their responsibilities when they are more than others.