Even though no NATO country has come under Russian attack, the former has still declared war on Russia.

Protracted Conflict

Without going into the nitty-gritty of the actual missile systems to be supplied and the damage they could, or couldn’t cause, to Russia, there is little denying that the Western resort to attacks inside Russia indicates the failure of its military strategy thus far to militarily – and economically – defeat Russia. The question, however, is: can European countries afford a prolonged conflict?

Germany, which was until recently a major supplier of weapons to Ukraine, has already decided to halve its support. The decision has been taken regardless of the fact that the possible return of Donald Trump could itself see a drastic cut in US military aid to Ukraine. Such a scenario shows multiple situations underpinning Europe’s position in the conflict.

First, Germany does not care who ends up occupying the White House in November. Berlin does not simply want to fully empty its arsenal and spend more than it wants to on defence. Instead, Germany is now “hoping” that Ukraine will be able to fund itself via loans, i.e., financial instruments that Europe has supplied to Kyiv........

© New Eastern Outlook