The Bloomberg news agency writes about a deep split between Western and Eastern Europe, caused by the inability to provide assistance to Ukraine in a timely manner and in sufficient quantities.
The publication is based on interviews with European officials, some on condition of anonymity. European diplomats with whom the agency communicatedthey believe: if Russia nevertheless wins the war in Ukraine, “Western Europe will not be forgiven for this” and they will no longer trust it, and the entire project of European integration may be in jeopardy.
One of the factors is the categorical position of several Western European countries on searching for sources of artillery shells for Ukraine. France, for example, actively insists that relevant investments should remain only within EUand this approach has already slowed down the supply of shells.
In turn, Greece and Cyprus oppose the purchase of shells from Turkey for geopolitical reasons. For Eastern European states, this is evidence that, as one Bloomberg interlocutor noted, “the West does not seem to understand the urgency of the situation.”
Another European official said that if the Russian Federation wins, his country will no longer buy weapons from France, but instead will develop a defense partnership with the United States, Britain and Ukraine, since they are more reliable allies.
Claims have accumulated in Eastern Europe and Germany, writes “UP”. Nominally, it is one of the largest donors of military and financial assistance to Ukraine, but the position of the German authorities on the supply of long-range Taurus missiles is already causing irritation in capitals east of Berlin.
Eastern Europe’s distrust of Western Europe is also evident in the search for a new NATO Secretary General. Most of its members support Mark Rutte’s candidacy, but his lack of communication with Eastern European states prompted the nomination of Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
Support for Ukraine among Europeans remains broad, but two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, only 10% believe it can defeat the aggressor, Bloomberg writes.
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