‘Europe promises a lot to Kyiv but does not do enough’, – The Economist reported

On February 1, if the negotiations at the EU summit in Brussels are successful, politicians at a press conference will loudly and complacently announce the allocation of a €50 billion aid package to Ukraine and the need to continue standing shoulder to shoulder with the country.

This information reported according to The Economist.

However, the publication points out that this package is designed for four years and constitutes only about 0.08% of the bloc’s GDP over that period.

There is a gap between how Europe describes the situation and the means it employs to address it, according to The Economist. European politicians acknowledge that the situation looks rather grim. French officials point to the need for Europe to transition to a “war economy” to thwart Russia’s imperial ambitions. In Central Europe, concerns are raised that Russia’s victory in Ukraine will lead to further expansionist wars, and there is fear that they could be next. However, when it comes to assisting Ukraine, their actions are more modest.

Although Europe has accepted Ukrainian refugees, imposed anti-Russian sanctions, and promised Ukraine the prospect of joining the bloc, the proposed four-year aid package has virtually replaced all new options for short-term assistance. According to sources, Kyiv will have to settle for this in the near future.

The Economist notes that the relatively small scale of aid is connected to three factors. Firstly, some politicians, especially in Western Europe, initially hoped that Ukraine would not lose but also not win too significantly to avoid humiliating Russia. Now, there is a desire to keep Kyiv on a short leash, especially if Ukraine ever needs to sit down for negotiations. Secondly, aid to the country often comes in the form of military equipment, and Europe has less and less of it. The third factor is that Ukraine has become embroiled in internal disputes within the EU, as evidenced by the actions of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.