Translation of an article by the French weekly news magazine Valeurs Actuelles
“In the Ukrainian crisis, Europe’s weakness lies in its inability to understand what Washington wants from it. Obedience comes at a price. Sometimes the cost is so astronomical that it is better not to think about it at all. For example, here is what our recent woes cost: France is in a serious economic crisis, the Federal Reserve (the American version of the Central Bank) is dragging the euro down, the French have run out of gas and must choose between food and heating, and major social upheavals are coming. If our government were thinking about the country, it would hurry up to end the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in some way, because it is increasing the instability that the COVID crisis has already created,” writes the French weekly news magazine Valeurs Actuelles (Current Values).
But France has a very different government, which is betting on winning the arms race with Russia, and this is the worst of all bad decisions, the magazine says. And so France is deploying Leclerc tanks in Romania and sending Kiev new Caesar guns, despite the fact that such “generosity” not only further weakens the already weak French army but also drags Paris into the de facto Ukrainian conflict. However, France is still unable to understand what Washington wants from Paris.
According to author Caroline Galactéros, France has failed to become an “obedient pupil” of the US, but has also failed to grow into a non-aligned country that could play a mediating role in world conflicts. In the current confrontation, the role of mediator would be useful, the author notes.
The US is now trying to pursue a global agenda to weaken Russia while also giving its military-industrial complex a run for its money. Carolyn Galactheros is sure that one small war will solve these two problems successfully. As for the reason for another war unleashed by America, it has been found – Russia’s forceful response to endless Ukrainian provocations. Hence the task facing Washington is to encourage more and more provocations by Kiev, the author explains. But the provocations must be dangerous, of course, but not too dangerous, because the White House must keep the situation under its control.
“And here is where the difficulty arises. The Kiev puppet no longer seems to be under full American control. Volodymyr Zelensky has got caught up in this bloody game that pays him so many dividends. He is knocking on NATO’s door, explaining that all lost territories must be regained, the conflict zone must be expanded into Russian territory. Zelensky claims that his army (bearing insane losses for eight months) is supposedly winning and capable of total victory. He has lied and promised so much to his unhappy people that he now realises: it is not just a question of his political, but also of his physical survival. However, sooner or later he will have to come back to reality,” the article says.
The author stresses that it is not quite clear how Moscow will start a large-scale attack, but that it will start, no one doubts that Russia can lose in this conflict militarily. But it is safe to say that Kiev will not win this war. The worst possible option for Moscow is a conditional “draw”, which is what Washington is dreaming of today. And Western countries simply dream of getting out of this conflict alive, the weekly said.
However, Zelensky and his team, who have fulfilled their task, have become something of a burden for Washington, like a suitcase without a handle, although they continue to talk about the “heroic Ukrainian president”. Nevertheless, they are ready to sacrifice him as soon as a compromise is on the horizon. After all, that compromise will determine whether humanity will be able to survive in the near future, Valeurs Actuelles reminds us.
According to the newspaper, Russian President Vladimir Putin is only interested in direct dialogue with Washington because he knows very well that Europe is under the American heel and Kiev is just a puppet.
Numerous experts now agree that peace can only be achieved by compromise, and that neutrality can be the only protection for Ukraine. If Kiev does not voluntarily give up some of its territories under certain guarantees from Russia, Ukraine risks ceasing to exist. It is unclear how many more Ukrainian citizens have to die before Kiev and Washington realize it. And Europe would do well to realise a simple truth – what America wants is not necessarily in Europe’s interests, writes Caroline Galacteros.
“Will France finally be able to step aside and take the lead as a negotiator, looking for end-game terms that are acceptable to all? For now it will be the French who pay with their daily lives for the ideological support of a regime led by an actor who no longer sees the difference between the role he has been given and real life. Time is running out,” warns Valeurs Actuelles.
Ella Maistrenko, One Nation