It’s that simple. Lindsey Graham, the senator, explained it in a few sentences. Americans will produce the weaponry, Europeans will finance the production, while Ukrainians will receive them. That’s what he said. He only omitted to add that Ukrainians would receive the weaponry in order to die. What else? No one in his right mind thinks they can win.
Is that the re-industrialization of the United States? Manufacture of military items alone is not exactly what makes for a healthy economy. For the United States to be an economic superpower, it needs to produce competitive automobiles, digital devices and all the rest that makes the world develop and prosper. More to it: the United States needs not only to produce such items, but also to outproduce China, and Taiwan.
Is that the benefit that the European Union gets from being allied with the United States? Paying for American military equipment will inject money into American economy, but how does that relate to Europe’s economy? With no cheap oil or gas, the EU is going to have a hard time.
Is that a real aid that Ukraine needs? Unlikely. Russia has gained the upper hand and its military strength is on the rise. Ukraine is on its last legs while its soldiers are alleged to be deserting the ranks in droves. Why then bleed the nation?
When Napoleon was defeated at the 1813 Battle of Leipzig, he was compelled to retreat to France. The allied forces – Russia, Prussia, Austria, England – were not quite sure whether they could eventually beat the Emperor, so they offered him a peace settlement which stipulated that France would retain the territories up to the Rhine River and some chunks of northern Italy, i.e. an area that France’s King Louis XIV (the Sun King!) wanted to control, but eventually could not because he did not manage to prevail over France’s enemies. What did Napoleon do? Yes, you know it very well. He defied the allies and continued the war effort. France, like today’s Ukraine, was exhausted by war but never mind! You can always count on a miracle. The result was that France lost and was reduced to the pre-war area, while Napoleon was made to resign from his throne, which was much to the joy of the common French people who by that time had had enough of his wars. What do you think Ukrainians dream of now? Of prolonging war? Of having Mr Zelensky on the throne? Give me a break!
Americans are running low on the stock of arms, the EU is running out of sanctions, while Ukraine is running out of manpower. President Donald Trump has threatened all the countries around to world to impose 100% tariffs on them if they continue trading with Russia. Well, if countries trade with Russia it means that they profit from it. Many of them have purchased American treasuries. In other words, they are American creditors. Will the American president punish American creditors? That would be another bad signal to all the world, another bad signal after the West’s freezing Russian financial assets back in 2022. Given such a development of events, how can particular nations trust the dollar as a safe store of value, and SWIFT as s safe system of financial exchange?
Are we not in a death spiral downwards? Are these measures not like reckless body movements of one drowning in a swamp? What an irony, especially when you think of someone wanting to dry up the swamp…