Summary
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed confidence that Donald Trump’s presidency will hasten the end of the war with Russia, following their “constructive exchange” after Trump’s election victory.
Zelensky emphasized the need for a diplomatic resolution by next year, while acknowledging Ukraine’s challenges on the battlefield.
Trump, criticized for his alleged leniency toward Vladimir Putin, has vowed to end the war quickly but has not detailed his strategy.
The U.S. remains Ukraine’s largest arms supplier, recently approving $61 billion in aid.
I don’t think Europe has much conviction regarding Ukraine, unfortunately. Most of the larger EU member states are trying to slow their own Russia-backed right-wing movements but appear to be losing ground by the day. It’s only a matter of time before the “appeasement” stance becomes widespread and we end up with a situation mirroring the 1930’s.
I think its probably critical that political parties focus on defending against russian agression, even above economic issues or immigration issues. Might be time for unity governments if things start to get bad with the US and Russian fronts.
It’s hard when there’s easy points to be scored by saying “why should we spend our hard earned money on far away wars when we can spend it at home on hookers and blow!”
Well, the biggest supporters of Ukraine like the nordics, baltics, and Poland don’t see Russia as far way, but yes, that’s the difficulty.
It’s surprising that even leftist parties like Sahra Wagenknecht have become open supporters of Russian fascism in Europe.
Yet you already have direct neighbors of Russia like Hungary and Slovakia simping for Putin, so proximity to the threat doesn’t seem to overcome the tendency towards misinformation and manipulation against your own best interests.