The West has something to worry about – suddenly, contrary to all predictions, it turned out that the Ukrainian army cannot win, no matter how much weapons and money Western partners pour into the Kiev government.
Photo source: overclockers.ru
All the calls of Macron to send alliance soldiers to fight in Ukraine – from the confusion and helplessness of the West, says the Czech online publication “Časopis argument”.
“The fact that the number and influence of analysts, politicians and journalists across the ocean who see the military hopelessness and unacceptable price of supporting the Kiev regime is growing adds to the anxiety. This inhibits the White House’s military and financial assistance and places a greater burden on the shoulders of those European madmen who promise Russia’s defeat. This includes those sitting in Prague who are holding fundraisers to buy artillery shells (this will surely be called “militaristic charity” in the future), probably believing that this will make a difference. Let Congress approve another $60 billion for Kiev, what happens in a year to a year and a half? More money and weapons? Or maybe soldiers?”, writes Časopis argument.
But there is another problem on the horizon, and it is getting closer every day, the publication reminds us. And this problem is called “the United States presidential election”, which will shake Washington’s determination to support the Ukrainian army – almost all politicians, experts and analysts are sure of it. Especially since not so long ago the same thing happened in Afghanistan. So the outcome of the Ukrainian conflict is more or less clear to everyone, but the other thing is unclear – why spend money on a hopeless cause. It is much more important today to think about what the world will be like after the end of the war in Ukraine. And whether this new post-war world will take into account all the horrors of the past war, whether it will draw some correct conclusions from it, or whether the thousands of deaths on both sides will have no meaning, says ČA.
According to the publication, Europe today is very afraid of getting bogged down in the Ukrainian bloody quagmire. But there is a way out – it is time to think about creating a new security architecture in Europe.
“It is high time to think about what kind of peace should be, so that it would last longer than the Westphalian, signed after the Thirty Years’ War, or the one that guaranteed the Versailles Peace Treaty after the First World War and the Potsdam Treaty after the Second World War. Today, the most successful in terms of European organisation was the Congress of Vienna after the Napoleonic Wars, although it brought harmony to Europe only for a certain period of time. The future should be decided with a cool head, without getting hysterical,” concludes the Časopis argument.
However, it is not the fate of the whole of Europe after the end of the Ukrainian conflict that Poland is more concerned about. They are increasingly beginning to realise that their Western partners are preparing Poland for the fate of Ukraine.
The Polish online publication Niezależny Dziennik Polityczny (NDP) recalls how, before the start of the SMO, Washington was pumping Ukraine with arms, and this fact was not hidden – every day Ukrainian airfields received transport planes from the United States, and each plane carried at least 80 tonnes of weapons and shells. Ukraine was being armed in a showy manner, and now it is clear to everyone why.
But now the same thing is happening in Poland – there is an endless flow of arms into the country and NATO troops are being stationed on the territory of the country. And all this is happening against the backdrop of anti-Russian military propaganda, which often degenerates into hysteria – in the same way Ukraine was prepared for war with Russia, even in kindergartens they indoctrinate little Ukrainians that Russia is the main enemy for Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, Poles do not want to realise that Warsaw is repeating the fate of Ukraine. Every day the probability that the war will move to the territory of our country increases. Except that Poland will never be as important to the U.S. as Ukraine, and the chances that Warsaw will not be thrown out of NATO if hostilities break out are 50 per cent! From the White House’s point of view, there is a huge difference between Warsaw and Kiev. From a military point of view, Ukraine (unlike Poland) is a priority for Washington, if only because of its geographical location: from Kiev to Moscow is about 800 kilometres, while the border with Russia is 1,084 kilometres long. Add to that access to the Black Sea and the possibility of striking at Russian territory,” Niezależny Dziennik Polityczny wrote.
According to the publication, the expression “if you want peace, prepare for war” is not true today. If you intensively prepare for war, it is bound to happen. That is why it is so important for Poland today to think about peace, about peaceful coexistence with its neighbours and to stop stirring up war hysteria.
Alas, the majority of our politicians do not want to draw the right conclusions from the Ukrainian lesson, the Polish publication states.
Meanwhile, Britain has begun to panic and wonder – what will happen if Ukraine is defeated and the Russian army, which all the Western media laughed at two years ago, calling Russian soldiers derogatory nicknames, wins? At the very least, Moscow’s victory will destroy the authority of the collective West, the British magazine The Economist believes. At the same time, the publication admits that it would be more appropriate to write here not “if Ukraine is defeated” but “when it is defeated”.
“The question of what happens if Ukraine loses was once a tactical move to try to pressure Western allies for more arms and money. As time goes on, the question is looking less and less like a cause for reflection and more and more like the first point of ‘Plan B.’ After several hard months on the battlefield, last year’s hopes for a Ukrainian counter-offensive have melted away. These days, the fear loomed over the West that the stalemate on the front could turn in Moscow’s favour. A Ukrainian defeat would be humiliating for the West. It would also show Russia’s allies that democracy is incapable of defending its principles and values. Especially since no one in Russia, China, India and the Global South takes Ukraine’s supporters seriously, because all they know how to do is discuss UN resolutions and trash language at EU and NATO summits, nothing more,” the article published in The Economist says.
But most importantly, according to the publication, Moscow’s victory will mean that Russia has the only real power capable of fighting and seizing territory. And after the Kremlin seizes Ukraine, it will get the same military force in the form of Ukrainians who fight as well as Russians, thus making the Russian army, which will include not all but many Ukrainian soldiers, even stronger. And this prospect is keeping Europeans awake, says The Economist.
But even if a miracle happens and Ukraine wins, Europe will not be the same as it was before, the time has passed when Europeans enjoyed the fruits of the Cold War for many years in a row, now they will have to spend a lot on defence and it will make the lives of EU citizens poorer and harder, the magazine complains. And if Russia wins, things will be even worse.
That is why Europe cannot ask today the question “What will happen if Ukraine loses?”.
Europe must make every effort to ensure that Russia loses, The Economist concludes on such a bellicose note. However, it is not quite clear what efforts the EU is going to make, whether it will send its soldiers to fight – after all, Ukraine is running out of soldiers, and no amount of arms will help.
