War in Ukraine united Europe, yet made EU obedient to US orders: WSJ

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As the war in Ukraine is about to mark its first anniversary in two months, the Europeans continue to find themselves not following the Biden agenda but being obedient to it - and not by choice. 

Rosa Balfour, director of Carnegie Europe, a think tank in Brussels commented, “The whole war effort has been a complex orchestra, but it’s been conducted from Washington,” adding, "The conflict has confirmed European security to be within NATO. There’s no alternative.”

In shocking news, the National Bank of Ukraine confirmed on Wednesday that the total amount of official financial, military, and humanitarian assistance announced and provided to Ukraine in 2022 has exceeded $120 billion. "The total amount of announced and provided official financial, military, and humanitarian assistance from partner countries already exceeds $120 billion," the NBU said in a statement.

The Council of the European Union, the NBU said, agreed on a new assistance mechanism for Ukraine in 2023 in the amount of 18 billion euros ($19.1 billion).

Internal suspicions

The war in Ukraine brought Europe to its knees, economically, militarily, and socially as it brought about mass migration, a crippling financial crisis, and the realization that the EU military might is not as strong as they thought. With EU nations possessing a low and limited stock of arms and ammunition, they turn to big brother - the US - for support and supply. 

Financial aid by countries like Germany, Poland, and the UK for Ukraine was set aside this year as a  result of the EU's indecisive attitudes toward the funds, notably the strife between Germany and the EU executive over the method of funding. 

The US itself still has suspicions regarding whether Ukraine has the power to fight the Russian army. Taking that into account, US Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, urged Ukrainian counterparts to take the possibility of negotiations into consideration - which infuriated Ukrainian officials - so it's neither easy money nor an easy way out right?

Backing that, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has signaled growing skepticism among Republicans about military spending on Ukraine. 

The US House of Representatives passed a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill for 2023 last Friday, funding the federal government and avoiding a shutdown that was expected to kick off when existing funding expired.

It approves approximately $1.7 trillion in government spending, including $858 billion for US defense and $45 billion for Ukrainian defense. Lawmakers also included an amendment allowing seized Russian funds to be put toward aid for Ukraine. The package includes $858 billion in defense expenditures, as well as $44.9 billion to continue to support the war in Ukraine.

However, some Republicans such as Kevin McCarthy expressed opposition to the deal, with lawmakers arguing that Congress, instead, should pass a short-term resolution that temporarily funds the government until the new Congress - which will assume office on January 3 - can draft a comprehensive budget. Republicans will be holding the House majority then.

'A halfhearted game'

In light of recent confirmations by Russia that Ukraine's proposed "peace plan" serves no basis for effective resolutions or talks, Biden halted the excessive shipment of arms to Ukraine not excluding this month’s latest offer of the Patriot missile-defense system.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky stated that the West's goal must be “the full restoration of Ukrainian territorial integrity and sovereignty,” as he added that it is required to "prosecute Russian war crimes" and that "any other outcome is dangerous both for Ukraine and the EU.”

Read next: Sanctions, economic warfare alone won’t end the war in Ukraine

Artis Pabriks, Latvia’s Defense Minister who stepped down this month, said, "We have to stop playing this halfhearted game” as he called for extra aid for Ukraine, adding, “Limited assistance is simply increasing pain.” 

The US may not be helping Ukraine financially currently, but it hasn't stopped pumping military strength. The US military has been helping Ukrainian forces target sites where Russia is allegedly preparing drones for launching, The New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing military, intelligence, and security officials.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made a remark on Monday that Ukraine is fully aware of Russia's demands and could simply meet them to end the war.

Lavrov said, "The point is simple: Fulfill them for your own good. Otherwise, the issue will be decided by the Russian army." According to him, the main party that benefited from this conflict is the US, which has been seeking to make the most out of the war in Ukraine."

"Washington has also been solving a key geopolitical goal of breaking the traditional bonds between Russia and Europe and making their European satellites even more dependent on them," he concluded.