Originally Posted by Skybird
FOCUS writes:
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Almost the whole world is behind Ukraine? Far from it
Behind the noble statements of Baerbock, Biden and others, a vast country is opening up, populated by pacifists, sanctions boycotters and hard-core political opponents of Ukraine. Is solidarity with Ukraine eroding?
Last night in New York, the UN General Assembly again called for a withdrawal of Russian troops by a large majority. 141 of the 193 member states voted in favor of a resolution to that effect. Earlier, in an emotional speech, our Foreign Minister appealed for support for Ukraine, which is fighting for its freedom: "Each and every one of us here today has the opportunity to contribute to this peace plan. By telling the aggressor to stop. "
Just days ago, in a risky venture for him personally, Joe Biden visited Kiev by train and assured the head of the government there, Selenskyj, of his solidarity. "You remind us that freedom is priceless. We will be by your side, Mr. President: for as long as it takes. "
The inconvenient truth is this: It is getting lonely for Ukraine and its wartime president
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is in no less combative mood as she presented the new package of sanctions against Russia: "Together we are tightening the noose around Russia. "
Words can change the world, it is often said. But they can also form a smokescreen that makes it difficult for contemporary witnesses to see through the power relations that lie behind them. So then, on the anniversary of the Russian invasion, wish and reality are out of sight in the fog of words. "In the beginning was the word - in the end the phrase," the Polish poet Stanisław Jerzy Lec once said.
For the uncomfortable truth is this: It is getting lonely for Ukraine and its war president. Behind the noble statements of Baerbock, Biden and others, a vast country is opening up, populated by pacifists, sanctions boycotters and hard-core political opponents of Ukraine. And all three groups, which makes the development so dangerous for Ukraine, are at home in the democratic states of this world.
1. the profiteers
There are still states and companies that buy from Russia for economic reasons - including sanctioned goods.
Poland, for example, continues to buy Russian oil even after the oil embargo. In early February, Maciej Małecki, state secretary at the Ministry of State Property, admitted that Poland continues to buy ten percent of its oil - 20,000 tons per month - from Russia. He said the contract with Russian gas producer Tatneft could not be terminated or compensation payments would be due. Solidarity by class.
Pipelines: Europe continues to buy
To date, there is no EU gas embargo. Although gas no longer flows through Nordstream 1 and 2, Russia delivers its gas via other routes. The Transgas and Turkstream pipelines are active, and the Russians are also heavily involved in the liquids business. Around 500 million cubic meters of pipeline gas per week and 1500 cubic meters of LNG per month are currently imported by the EU. The top buyers include France, Spain and Belgium, according to price information service ICS.
Sanctioned goods from Russia - for example cement, caviar, gold, plastics and wood - also continue to find their way, including to Germany. Robert Habeck's Ministry of Economics is now admitting for the first time that the sanctions offer many loopholes that are used by states and companies. "It is obvious that sanctions are being circumvented here. "
Europe buys Russian gas
India is the typical beneficiary, as this world's largest democracy seized the opportunity to import cheaply the quantities of Russian oil and gas freed up by Western restraint. Unlike Poland, India cannot even bring itself to clearly condemn the Ukraine war. The country is trying to capitalize on the conflict.
2. The pacifist-minded
All over the world, a pacifist sentiment has spread, ostensibly promoting a quick and non-violent end to the war, but with it Ukraine's surrender and lack of freedom.
The Manifesto for Peace, initiated by Sahra Wagenknecht and Alice Schwarzer, gathers people like Antje Vollmer, Margot Käßmann, but also conservative politicians like Peter Gauweiler, who do not want to deliver any more weapons to Ukraine and thus leave it defenseless to Russian aggression: "We call on the German Chancellor to stop the escalation of arms deliveries."
3. the political opponents
This group is the most dangerous for Ukraine because it is particularly active in the U.S., attacking Ukraine's main sponsor, the government in Washington. Donald Trump's conservative challenger, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, unequivocally opposes military aid from Joe Biden's administration. "Just saying it's an open-ended blank check, that is not acceptable."
Continuing, "I and many Americans think to ourselves, okay, he's very concerned about the borders on the other side of the world. He hasn't done anything to secure our own border here at home. "
Donald Trump doesn't want to miss this train, which is on a high-speed collision course with Washington. In a fundraising appeal to finance his campaign, he promotes himself as a fiery opponent of further military support for the Selenskyj government.
He writes, "In an economic climate as inflation carves up citizens in the U.S., Biden is sending taxpayer money to fund pensions to Kiev. "
Further, "He loves to send our taxpayer money abroad to secure other nations' borders. " His conclusion, "Biden puts other peoples before his own. "
It's about interests, not just justice
Bottom line: public support for Ukraine is eroding. The country's supporters must do what they have so far failed to do adequately - explain themselves and their motives. Governments owe accountability to their taxpayers, as well as to their military personnel, for the investments they are making here and the risks they are taking.
Without that persuasion, the Ukraine war, just as, for that matter, the Vietnam War once was, could fail because of a lack of support in those states that are funding this war on the Western side.
The belief that the Ukrainians' struggle for freedom is self-explanatory is a child's faith. It is about interests, not just justice. The West is not a supernatural place either. Or to quote Polish lyricist Stanisław Jerzy Lec again, "Those who seek heaven on earth have slept in geography class. "
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