Despite all the rhetoric and sanctions from Europe, Vladimir Putin remains unwavering. He is even becoming more belligerent, directly threatening Europe with war, writes Sky News.
The much-vaunted “rules-based world order“ is collapsing. America, until now its guardian, has abandoned it and is now in an increasing alliance with Russia.
As Russia's war with Ukraine approaches its fourth year, the world functions under new rule and new rules, but in Europe nothing seems to have changed.
Putin is winning on the battlefield, slowly but surely, and Ukraine's money is running out. America has turned off the tap and is now acting as an arms dealer, selling weapons to Ukraine via Europe.
Ukraine needs over a hundred billion dollars a year to keep fighting. Europe is struggling to use frozen Russian assets to finance it. And there is certainly no sign that European governments will take up this and ask taxpayers to do the same.
The alternative way to stop Russia’s destructive offensive is to send troops into Ukraine, which remains out of the question. So for now, we have only words and sanctions.
America no longer wants to support either Europe or Ukraine, but only to profit from selling weapons in the conflict. If Europe is not ready to put its money where its rhetoric and sanctions are, it all looks like posturing.
Replacing solid financial support for Ukraine with impotent sanctions and rhetoric at some point becomes pointless. This encourages Kiev to continue to fight, as Putin recently put it, "to the last Ukrainian," mistakenly believing that Europe is supporting it.
The moment of reckoning is approaching for Europe, but there is no sign that its leaders are accepting this fact.