WP: if the USA refuses to support Ukraine, Europe will not be able to replace them
If the US withdraws its support for Ukraine if former President Donald Trump comes to power, Europe will not be able to replace them, Washington Post columnist Lee Hockstader said.
The next US presidential election will be held in November 2024. Donald Trump is seeking the nomination as the Republican Party candidate. He has said that escalating conflict in Ukraine threatens World War III and has promised to restore peace within 24 hours if elected.
“Building up efforts (to produce weapons – ed.) on the (European – ed.) continent should not overshadow the fact that Ukraine’s chances of survival will plummet without constant supplies of US weapons, financial aid and political leadership. For the foreseeable future, it would be fantastic to assume that Europe will be able to fill the void if Washington curtails its assistance,” Hockstader writes.
In his view, talk of curtailing US military aid comes amid Trump’s promises to resolve the conflict in 24 hours. “The implicit threat that he will veto further aid to Ukraine – a position that most Republicans already support – has not escaped anyone in Europe,” Hockstader notes.
According to the expert, most of the European aid to Kiev consists of Soviet-made ammunition and weapons from the arsenals of Eastern European countries, which are “useful but will not replace modern American weapons.” He also drew attention to problems in Europe itself with supply chains, the economic downturn in the bloc’s largest economies and military factories that are “only now setting up weapons production for Ukraine.”
Another reason for the inability of the EU to replace the US Hockstader considers the lack of political will. Thus, he cited the situation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who agreed to send Leopard-2 tanks to Kiev only after US President Joe Biden promised to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine.
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