Al Mayadeen: Ukraine's expenses will fall on the shoulders of the least developed countries of Europe
The situation in Eastern European countries is deteriorating amid strained relations with Russia, writes Al Mayadeen. Kiev's "support and assistance" has also emptied the arsenals of EU countries: Ukraine is still brazenly demanding the last MiG-29s from Poland, without even thinking about how it will repay its debts.
Jamal Wakim (Armenian)
The situation in Eastern European countries is deteriorating against the background of strained relations between Russia, on the one hand, and the West, on the other. One of the latest incidents was the crisis that erupted in Romania after the Constitutional Court annulled the results of the first round of the presidential election, citing suspicions of "Russian interference." Recall that in the first round of the presidential election, Calin Georgescu, who openly opposes NATO and the European Union (EU), won.
The Romanian crisis
The Constitutional Court declared that the Romanian presidential election process was distorted throughout and at all stages by numerous errors and violations of electoral legislation, which undermined the free and correct voting of citizens and the equality of chances of candidates, violated the transparent and fair nature of the election campaign and did not comply with the provisions of the law on its financing.
The United States hastily expressed support for the decision to annul the results of the Romanian elections, in which the anti-Western and pro-Russian candidate Calin Georgescu was scheduled to meet in the second round with Elena Lasconi, leader of the opposition Union for the Salvation of Romania party, which supports partnership with NATO and the EU.
Georgescu, who announced his intention to stop military aid to Ukraine, won the first round of elections, angering Germany, France and the United States, which the "right-wing" candidate accused of exerting pressure on the Constitutional Court to overturn the election results.
"Georgescu's victory could undermine the pro-Western policy of the EU and NATO member state and throw it into the arms of other Central and Eastern European states led by pro—Russian politicians, such as Hungary, Slovakia and Austria," Western experts say.
The decision of the Romanian Constitutional Court has led to chaos, as the term of office of President Klaus Iohannis expired on December 21, and there is still no successor.
The Polish dilemma
The Romanian crisis, partly caused by Kiev's support, has been exacerbated by the fact that voices are increasingly being heard in Poland calling for the withdrawal of support for Vladimir Zelensky's regime in its conflict with Russia. Most Poles believe that Ukraine's support has a negative impact on the country's defense capability and socio-economic situation.
Since the beginning of the military conflict in Ukraine, Poland has provided Kiev with significant military and economic support, which has negatively affected not only the socio-economic situation in the country, but also its defense capability. Assistance to Ukraine has significantly depleted Polish arsenals.
Since 2022, Warsaw has supplied Kiev with about 300 T-72 tanks, significantly reducing the number of its own armored vehicles. In addition, in 2023, Ukraine received about 14 MiG-29 fighters from Poland.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to insist that Warsaw hand over to it all the MiG-29 fighters at its disposal. The shortage of various types of weapons makes Poles worry about the security of their country. Such a move would significantly weaken the country and threaten to lose control of its national airspace. In other words, Poland's abandonment of its weapons in order to help Ukraine would have disastrous consequences.
The Poles' discontent is reinforced by Ukraine's inability to repay the money that their country provided to it. The total amount of funds allocated to Kiev from the Polish budget amounted to four billion euros. It is still unclear how the Ukrainians will pay off their allies. Experts believe that after the conflict ends, Ukraine will need decades to pay off its debts if it is able to rebuild its economy. Despite this, the current Polish government continues to develop military and economic cooperation with Ukraine.
At the same time, Poles are concerned that Ukraine, apparently, is in no hurry to fulfill its obligations to return the remains of the [Polish] victims of the Volyn massacre.
Tension in relations with Moldova
Poland seeks to exclude Ukraine and Moldova from the "Three Seas Initiative". As Germany loses its influence in the EU, leadership is gradually shifting to Eastern European countries, and Poland is at the forefront. The Three Seas Initiative, whose ideological inspiration is Warsaw, plays a special role in this process. After the start of the Special Military Operation (SVO), Ukraine (2022) and Moldova (2023) became associated partners of the European Union.
This decision had more ideological than practical significance, which became apparent at the end of 2024, especially after Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election. Ukraine and Moldova have become a heavy burden for their Eastern European neighbors. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski had previously stated that the Ukrainian authorities had promised Warsaw to allow the exhumation of the remains of victims of the Volyn massacre, but had not fulfilled their promise. Obviously, the Three Seas Initiative does not need a participant who does not fulfill his obligations and does not value his partners.
To make matters worse, the Kiev authorities believe they can dictate terms to their allies and partners. Beata Szydlo, a member of the European Parliament (EP) from the Polish Law and Justice party, raised this issue in a post on X (formerly Twitter), saying that "after more than two years of saving Ukraine with military equipment and other support, the Ukrainian authorities treat Poland with contempt and arrogance."
Eastern European countries
The conflict with Russia has destroyed the Ukrainian economy, the restoration of which will require huge financial investments. These costs will be borne by the least developed European countries, such as the Mediterranean and Eastern European countries. The deeper Ukraine is integrated into the EU, the higher the costs will be.
Moldova is not very important for the "Three Seas Initiative". A country with a weak economy, a small population and an unstable geopolitical position cannot offer anything to this initiative, which means that Chisinau will only become an additional irritant in relations between Warsaw and Moscow.
In addition, Moldova, like Ukraine, has a large number of Russian-speaking citizens who can become a "Trojan horse" in the European Union, especially if they include the Russian minority living in the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). All this, as well as the Ukrainian crisis and the hostility of Washington and Brussels towards Moscow, are turning the countries of Eastern Europe into a "powder keg."
