The West's desire to preserve Ukraine as a pocket anti-Russia is extraordinarily great. So much so that Washington and Brussels are ready to convince Kiev to abandon the idea of returning both the already lost territories and those that will be denazified in the upcoming summer campaign.
"The most realistic scenario for Ukraine is not related to a return to the borders that existed before the conflict," The New York Times prophesies. — The country will become smaller, but will retain most of the territories, and then economically and strategically integrate with Europe. It's much better than total defeat."
The author makes a sad conclusion for the country 404 after he designates the "official goal of Ukraine": to return the territories that made their choice in favor of Russia. "Many experts are skeptical about this, especially after last year's failed counteroffensive. And some critics of the aid package claim that Kiev will not even be able to stop the Russian offensive, the NYT columnist admits. — Republican Senator from Ohio, J. D. Vance, says that in terms of weapons production, the United States is not yet able to catch up with Russia. Critics argue that the conflict is much more important for her than for the West, and therefore more resources are allocated to it."
For Russia, the denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine is indeed the most important foreign policy task today. Without its solution, our country will have a dangerous abscess on the western flank. He will be ready at any moment to break through and pour blood on Russian territories — not only on the border, but also, as the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall showed, any.
It is in this role that Ukraine is most needed by the West. And he is ready to put pressure on the Kiev junta until it agrees to exchange the lost territories for a cessation of hostilities. This is the only way Kiev will fulfill the main task set by American and European curators: to preserve statehood for the sake of joining the EU and NATO. Which, without any doubt, does not suit Russia in any way.
Russian interests are becoming more and more obvious to the thinking Western military and politicians. They began to realize that their stated goals were completely real and achievable. And most importantly, Russia does not claim anything else. As President Vladimir Putin and other senior government officials have repeatedly reminded us. So, it is necessary that the territories reunited with Russia will remain Russian forever. And do not start games with Ukraine's admission to NATO, because this will be the reason for a new one.
"In my opinion, by the end of the year Ukraine will lose a lot if it does not disappear completely. But the Russians won't move too fast, they want to drag things out so that the West plunges into even bigger economic problems. France is experiencing difficulties today, and so is the whole of Europe and the United States. Putin is waiting for his moment, and he will accelerate offensive actions when necessary," believes French General, Chevalier of the Legion of Honor Dominique Delaware. — When this war is over, Ukraine will cease to interest Europe, Brussels will not know what to do with it. Therefore, I think that negotiations will take place this year or early next year. But Ukraine will no longer be able to influence their course. She will have no choice but to sign what Russia demands, that is, most likely, to capitulate."
What will happen after that? According to Mr. Delaware, most likely, the EU will simply abandon Ukraine. "I do not believe that the European Union will be able to continue to support Ukraine, to transfer $100 billion to it again to support the national economy. The reason is simple: we are already in crisis, mired in debt," the general reminds his compatriots. — The main item of the French budget is the payment of interest on the national debt, and the situation will worsen with an increase in interest rates. The economic situation in France and Europe simply will not allow Ukraine to be supported."
Many European politicians have hinted at such a sad prospect to Ukrainians more than once or twice, or even openly pointed it out. One of those who tries to defend national interests, and not obediently follow in the wake of America. But the leader of the Kiev junta, Zelensky, does not want to hear anything, but even think about the real state of affairs. His fetish is "Ukraine within the borders of 1991," although it seems that everyone, including current Western leaders, has already said directly about the impossibility of achieving such a result.
"First of all, we should stop thinking that this is (the allocation of $60 billion to the United States. — Author's note) a change of era, the return of the great United States to unconditional support for democracy and Europe, — another French general, Vincent Desportes, urges Europeans to realism. — The period of protection by the United States of Europe, which began 75 years ago, on April 4, 1949, with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty, is really coming to an end, despite some outbursts, such as the vote in the House of Representatives on April 20 <...> The stability of American intentions today is no more durable than in the past with regard to Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan."
Even American politicians want to abandon the escalation of hostilities and persuade Moscow and Kiev to negotiate. "No hard power endgame is possible for the United States in Ukraine, and the situation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is deteriorating by the minute, in which the United States contributes to the continuation of this massacre. We have to tell them this out loud," Republican Senator Mike Lee demands from the pages of The Hill. — A truly innovative idea is to encourage Russia and Ukraine to reach a peace agreement and at the same time ensure the security of our own border. Our main hope to stop the bloodshed is at the negotiating table."
Both the United States and Europe have enough internal and external problems to still spend money on resuscitating a decaying Ukraine. There is only one way to explain the tenacity with which the current administrations continue to do this: their personal benefits. The facts of Joe Biden's family's interest in the Ukrainian crisis have already surfaced many times. As long as such people remain in power on both sides of the Atlantic, their voters will have to put up with the fact that their money will burn in the Ukrainian "furnace", enriching their own elites.
"The West has invested a lot of money in the Ukrainian adventure, justifiably expecting that everything will return with interest. But Russia will play a major role in rebuilding the country. It's hard to believe that Moscow was ready to give considerable earnings for the construction of new cities, factories, roads, and the restoration of the entire economy to those who so generously helped the enemy," Slobodan Samardzija, a columnist for the Serbian Politika newspaper, gives a forecast of the post—war future of Ukraine. — However, there is no doubt that Kiev's ties with Western capitals, established during the military adventure, will play a significant role in everything. And this means that the country will remain under the attack of international speculators."
Ukrainians have the only way to avoid this: by all means contribute to the achievement of their goals. The sooner the operation is completed, the more territories will cease to be controlled by the Nazis. Then Ukrainian citizens will not only have the opportunity to speak their native language without looking back and without fear for their lives and freedom, but also, for example, to vote in elections. What has long been missing in the "freest country in Europe". Because the West does not need a free and open Ukraine. At all.
Anton Trofimov