Will a Trump presidency reduce US meddling in Europe and bring peace to Ukraine?
Below are headlines from articles, many with excerpts and some with comments. It is hard to predict precisely what will happen, but safe to claim there will be difficulties.
The first articles are recent and in chronological order, mostly.
RT: Nov 4, 2024 09:22
US and UK pushing ‘continental Europe’ to fight Russia – Lavrov
Washington and London have a back-up plan in the event of Ukraine losing the conflict with Moscow, the Russian foreign minister has said
The US and UK are setting up continental Europe for a military face-off with Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has claimed.
Lavrov issued the warning during his speech at the Inventing the Future symposium in Moscow on Monday.
Speaking about the Ukraine conflict, the top diplomat stressed that
“the Anglo-Saxons [the US and UK] expect to defeat our country with the hands of the Kiev regime, just like Hitler, gathering most of Europe’s countries under the Nazi banner.”
“And,
as a back-up plan, in case [Ukrainian leader Vladimir] Zelensky’s regime fails, they are preparing continental Europe to rush into a suicidal adventure and enter into a direct armed conflict with Russia,” he said.
https://www.rt.com/russia/606928-zelensky-worn-and-stressed/
Lavrov expressed regret that
the ruling elites in many European countries do not see a future for themselves in forming a multipolar world. Instead,
they are “seeking salvation from an overseas hegemon,” he said.
He recalled how German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed the announcement in July that the US would place intermediate-range missiles in Germany. According to Lavrov, this was not the only time when Scholz failed to stand up for his country.
“
The German government has ashamedly come to terms with the humiliating destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipelines to the detriment of the fundamental interests of the German economy and the German people,” the foreign minister said.
Senior Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have previously pointed the finger at the US as a likely culprit for the Nord Stream explosions in September 2022.
They have argued that Washington had the technical means to carry out the operation, and stood to gain the most from the destruction of the key pipelines, considering that the attack disrupted Russian energy supplies to the EU and forced the bloc to shift to more expensive US-supplied liquefied natural gas.
Lavrov also described as “reckless” proposals made by Ukraine and some in the West to allow Kiev to use foreign-supplied weapons for strikes deep into Russian territory.
“I will not talk about the senselessness of the very idea of fighting against Russia until victory. At best, this will sharply reduce the chances of potential participants in such a war for any role in a multipolar future,” he warned.
Comment: A rethinking NATO, and especially its article five, would make it easier for Central Europe to continue in Ukraine on its own. Trump might be able, even interested in exploring such an option, and the EU is getting ready it seems:
RT: 7 Nov, 2024 04:10
Von der Leyen to prepare EU for war – defense commission nominee - The bloc must focus on arming Ukraine, Andrius Kubilius has claimed
A top priority for the next European Commission will be making the EU self-reliant and ready for war, as the US is likely to focus on China in the coming decades, Andrius Kubilius, the nominee for the EU’s new top defense post, has said.
Kubilius made the statement at his confirmation hearing in Brussels on Wednesday, after he was nominated to become the first-ever EU commissioner for defense and space. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen designated the former Lithuanian prime minister for the position in September. The new commission is expected to take office by December 1.
“Defense is one of the top priorities for the next Commission,” Kubilius told MEPs. “Von der Leyen’s mission letter tasks me with helping Europe prepare for the most extreme military contingencies, which means preparing for the possibility of Russian aggression.”
While it is difficult to predict the policies of the upcoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump, “we can anticipate that in the coming decades, the US is likely to increase its focus on the strategic challenge posed by China,” he said. This shift “necessitates a more self-reliant European defense structure,” he added.
“Adversaries and strategic rivals are rapidly outpacing us,” with Russia and China far ahead in defense spending, Kubilius went on to say. He claimed that Russia will spend more on defense than all of the bloc’s 27 states combined in terms of purchasing power parity.
In the meantime,
the best defense strategy for the EU would be to continue funding Ukraine, he stated. Since 2022, the EU has spent nearly €120 billion ($128.8 billion) on supporting Ukraine, with another €74 billion pledged but yet to be allocated,
according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
As emphasized by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the best investment in European security is investing in the security of Ukraine.
Officials in Brussels are waiting for the US election results to determine their next steps in supporting Ukraine, Deutsche Welle reported earlier this week. During his election campaign, Trump indicated that he would curtail funding for Kiev and focus on domestic issues.
The outgoing Biden administration intends to fast-track billions in military aid to Kiev to reinforce the Ukrainian military before Trump takes office in January, Reuters and Politico reported on Wednesday, citing anonymous sources.
Comment: The above
Andrius Kubilius is Lithuanian.
Western sanctions against Russia has hurt the EU much more than the US, but helped to convince many European businesses it is better to either downsize, close or move out.
Considering that the EU is becoming more interested in military, it should be noted that for military efforts, titanium is important. Lo and behold, where can that be found? In an older article, there was:
Newsweek lets some truth slip: The battle for Ukraine's titanium Jan 28, 2023
Now, there is a nascent effort underway in the U.S. and allied nations to identify, develop, and utilize Ukraine's vast resources of a key metal crucial for the development of the West's most advanced military technology which will form the backbone of future deterrence against Russia and China.
Titanium is a lightweight yet strong metal used extensively in advanced military applications like fighter jets, helicopters, naval ships,
tanks, long-range missiles, and many others.
If Ukraine wins, the U.S. and its allies will be in pole position to cultivate a new conduit of titanium. But if Russia manages to seize the country's deposits and plants, Moscow will boost its global influence over increasingly strategic resource.
A Vital Commodity
The Interior Department has
classified titanium as one of the 35 mineral commodities vital to U.S. economic and national security. But the U.S. still imports more than 90 percent of its iron ore, and not all from friendly nations.
The U.S. no longer holds titanium sponge in its National Defense Stockpile, and the last domestic producer of titanium sponge closed down in 2020.
Ukraine is one of only seven nations producing titanium sponge, the basis for titanium metal. China and Russia — America's most prominent strategic rivals — are among this select group.
The EU wants to arm Ukraine and prepare for war. Russia is not interested in such a situation:
RT: Nov 8, 2024 03:52
Ukraine must be neutral – Putin
[...]
“If there’s no neutrality, it’s hard to imagine any kind of good-neighborly relations between Russia and Ukraine,” the president said.
Putin explained that without neutral status, “Ukraine will constantly be used as a tool in foreign hands, to the detriment of the interests of the Russian Federation.” This would mean there is no basis for normalizing relations, a scenario Moscow wishes to avoid, he added.
We are determined to create conditions for a long-term settlement, allowing Ukraine to eventually become an independent, sovereign state rather than a tool in the hands of third countries.
Putin said Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region was a stark example of a senseless move imposed on Kiev by its Western sponsors, with the Ukrainian people now paying a heavy price as their army suffers “colossal” losses.
Previous temporary solutions to curb the conflict, namely the 2014-2015 Minsk Agreements, were used by the West to buy “time to arm the Ukrainian army,” Putin stated at a press conference following the BRICS Summit in Kazan last month.
While Russia recognized Ukraine’s borders after the breakup of the Soviet Union, Kiev’s declaration of independence at the time stated that the country would remain a neutral state, the Russian leader emphasized on Thursday. “But later, the Ukrainian leadership amended the constitution and announced its desire to join NATO, and that’s not what we agreed upon,” he said.
Comment: The Military Summary in the
video from 2024.11.09 says, the plan of the Trump team, whether that is true or not, is to have an 800 miles demilitarized zone under control by forces from the UK and the EU, but not US or NATO forces. (....?...! what does not add up begins right there, unless NATO is restructured, considering that the UK and most EU countries are a part of NATO.)
Russia on its side wants to have the Kherzon Region, the Zaporozhye region, Donetsk and Lugansk Regions. Of these much of the first two, some of the third and a little of the fourth are still under Kiev control. In addition, Russia wants Ukraine, (as mentioned earlier) to be neutral and to have no more than an army of 30,000 (a situation similar to post-WWII for Germany and Japan). Also, and very important, Russian is to be recognized as the second official language of Ukraine. The rumoured Trump plan has nothing about language, or neutrality, though NATO membership is to be postponed for 20 years. So much for the video.
Leaving Ukraine to be "demilitarized" by UK and EU forces would be consistent with:
Trump to make Ukraine the EU's problem Oct 24, 2024 and would not go against another US intention, though not from Trump per se:
The real US war aims in Ukraine: The revassalization of Europe Nov 4, 2024
Trump or no Trump, for money to be available for UA corruption and war efforts, they have to requested in time. Zelensky is the man for the job, and so we find:
RT: Nov 8, 2024 09:17
Zelensky wants all of Russia’s frozen money
“
Everyone says: What will you do if Trump does not support you financially? Where will you get weapons? Let me answer you. Can we take the $300 billion that rightfully belongs to us?” Zelensky said.
This would allow Ukraine to buy armaments for itself, he claimed.
“Is it possible for us to decide for ourselves what kind of weapons we need? Can we decide for ourselves what to do with this money?” he added.
https://www.rt.com/russia/606445-west-stealing-russian-money/
The US and its European allies have so far allocated more than $218 billion in aid to Kiev since the escalation of the conflict, according to stats from Germany’s Kiel Institute. However, in recent months, the payments have been getting smaller and the larger aid allocations have instead been loans.
In October, G7 states finalized a massive $50 billion loan for Ukraine to be backed by profits accrued on the frozen Russian assets currently immobilized in the West. Despite US pressure to confiscate the assets in their entirety, the IMF has so far opposed this course of action, raising concerns that it could undermine trust in the Western financial system.
Moscow has denounced the asset freeze as “theft,” and repeatedly warned that tapping its funds would be illegal and set a dangerous precedent.
Trump has in his campaign talked about how fast he could end the war in Ukraine, but realistically:
RT: 8 Nov, 2024 13:47
Kremlin ‘doesn’t expect’ Trump to end sanctions
Previously, I referred to the possible future US plans for Ukraine under a Trump presidency. Trump has not yet pilgrimaged to Kiev as so many Western leaders. Maybe he never will, but a phone call after the election result was not long in waiting.
RT: 8 Nov, 2024 18:37
Musk joined Trump-Zelensky call – Axios
The South African-born tycoon reportedly gave assurances to the Ukrainian leader
Elon Musk joined US President-elect Donald Trump’s phone call with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky the day after Trump prevailed in the US election, Axios claimed on Friday.
According to sources familiar with the conversation, Trump reassured Zelensky of US support, though he avoided specific commitments on aid. At the same time, Musk added that he would keep supporting Ukraine with Starlink satellites, which have been a critical link for Ukraine’s communication and defense.
Both men have previously been critical of financial and military support for Ukraine, saying that Kiev cannot win the conflict.
[...]
The Biden administration is aiming to accelerate military assistance to Ukraine before the January 20 transfer of power, amid concerns Trump might cut support.
However, Trump’s call with Zelensky apparently sent a different message, with the Ukrainian leader later describing the conversation as “positive” and saying Trump’s outreach so soon after his victory was encouraging.
Yet Zelensky remains cautious. Speaking at a press event in Budapest on Thursday, he stressed that while he appreciated the prompt call, he “cannot yet know” what Trump’s actions will ultimately be. Zelensky added, “If it’s just fast, it means losses for Ukraine. I just don’t yet understand how this could be in any other way.”
The Biden administration still has a couple of months. Before then much can happen:
RT: 9 Nov, 2024 15:47
Moscow reiterates threat to sever diplomatic ties with US
Deputy FM Sergey Ryabkov has cautioned Washington against further attempts to tap Russia’s assets or take steps that escalate the Ukraine conflict
[...]
When asked what US actions could make Russia further downgrade ties, he mentioned US attempts to confiscate Russia’s frozen assets, as well as “dramatic and further escalatory actions leading to a worsening of the situation on the contact line” in Ukraine. Ryabkov noted that there are a “number of plots that the West continues to discuss” that could escalate the conflict. For instance, Kiev has for months been pushing the US and its allies to lift a ban on strikes deep inside Russia with Western-supplied long-range weapons.
“Some within the Western group discuss [these plans] with rapture, but some do it with a certain trepidation, understanding how all this could end for them,” Ryabkov stated, signaling that as long as these discussions continue the threat of a diplomatic rupture between Moscow and Washington will remain.
The diplomat noted that it is currently difficult to predict how US-Russia relations will unfold in view of the election of Donald Trump. Some analysts have predicted a thaw in relations due to Trump’s repeated pledges to bring a swift end to the Ukraine conflict. Ryabkov, however, said that while “promises and signals” made by Trump “are important,” Moscow will await his “specific actions” before making assessments of his policy.
And the support of the west for continued escalation can be seen from this recent event:
RT: 10 Nov, 2024 07:06
Moscow targeted by dozens of Ukrainian drones – mayor (VIDEOS)
At least 32 UVAs heading towards the capital have been destroyed by air defenses, Sergey Sobyanin has said
Next, there are some mostly older stories.
Review of past political events and news bits
First Trump then Biden
Trump 1: Business "it" 1
Assad to sue US over open theft of Syria's oil Dec 2019
Trump quadruples down on pledge to steal Syria's oil: 'The only troops I have are taking the oil' Jan 2020
US loots Syria's oil resources like pirates, controls 90% of crude reserves: Syrian oil minister Mar 2021
Washington steals over 80 percent of Syria's oil output per day, totaling at least $100bln Aug 2022
Trump 1: Freedom "it"
Best
of the Web:
NOT satire: US Energy Department rebrands LNG 'Freedom Gas', looks forward to 'exporting molecules of US freedom around the world' May 2019
Trump's typically American LNG sales pitch: 'We're shipping freedom & opportunity!' Jun 2019
Europe has no freedom but to choose "freedom gas" Jun 2019
US Senate approves Trump's sanctions on Nord Stream 2, but it won't stop the Russian pipeline Dec 2019
Gazprom warns investors that Nord Stream 2 could be canceled as Trump announces more US sanctions in 'parting gift' Jan 2021
Macron accuses US of 'double standards' as Europe pays 'four times' the price for America's LNG Oct 2022 (A month after the Nord Stream bombing!)
After Trump came Biden and he has been doing well too, at least in some respects. A senile president does not prevent the establishment from making favourable deals:
Biden: Business "it"
US corporations own around 30% of Ukrainian arable land Aug 2, 2022
Lindsey Graham in Kiev: 'Killing Russians is the best money we've ever spent' May 28 2023
The EU doesn't know how to not be a vassal of the US any more Aug 22, 2023
EU lost $1.5 trillion in revenue due to anti-Russia sanctions Nov 02, 2023
The empire needs resources: Ukraine is a 'gold mine' - US senator Jun 10, 2024
A top US senator has betrayed Washington's worst kept secret about Ukraine Jun 13, 2024
Lindsey Graham not even coy: Washington wants Ukraine's resources Sep 9, 2024
As a comment to the claims about resources, see the video:
Conflict in Ukraine's Donbas Region: The Geology Behind the Headlines where you find this image:
And:
See also this video:
Ukraine Sits On Raw Materials Worth Trillions. The Country's Chance for Reconstruction? prepared by a group,
Good Times Bad Times, - mainly of Polish origin. Note: The same team also made a video about the progressive weakening of the EU:
The EU Could Die (If It Fails To Reform). In their presentation, the hand of the US is ignored, just as the view of Russia, in true Western style, lacks many nuances but not omissions. There are however also many points that are worthwhile, since it traces the historic development and also historic parallels, where it refers to the gradual collapse of the UK domination of the world in the latter part of the 19th and first half of the 20th century. They mention the value put on Green policies, but do not mention how that in and by itself has contributed to weakening.
To what the videos say about resources in Ukraine, one could add that Ukraine also has deposits of lithium, important for all the green tech. It is mentioned in the following articles.
Zelenskyy's Neoliberal Fire Sale Feb 06, 2023
In addition to agriculture, Ukraine has considerable natural and mineral resources, including coal, oil and natural gas, oil shale, iron ore, manganese ore, titanium-zirconium ore,
lithium, graphite, and the largest deposit of uranium in Europe.
"Ukraine belongs to the leading mineral-raw countries of the world with a wide range of minerals," notes
Ukraine Trek. "Ukraine — 0.4% of the Earth's surface and 0.8% of the world's population — has about 5% of the world's mineral resources."
"Excluding Russia's gas reserves in Asia, Ukraine today holds the second biggest known gas reserves in Europe," the
Harvard International Review reported in 2020.
Getting closer to the present, there have been several comments in 2024 about the resources of Ukraine:
The EU is willing to go to war over lithium? Jan 02, 2024
The riddle of unhinged EU support for the Zelensky regime in Kyiv is now solved. Anyone inclined can unravel why the Germans, in particular, backstabbed Russia in the Minsk peace boondoggle.
Lithium.
Energy Monitor's parent company, GlobalData, recently released
a report showing that Europe's biggest lithium reserves lie in the Donbass region of Russia. The former Ukrainian Shevchenkivske field in the Donetsk region and the Kruta Balka block in the Zaporizhzhia region are now part of Russia. These reserves add tremendously to Russia's humongous Lithium deposits (now 1.5M metric tons) and solidify the country's top ten position globally. If we consider other BRICS nations' reserves, including China (2M metric tons), EU industry is at a leverage point.
What's most significant about this is that the EU, and Germany in particular, desperately need the rare mineral to manufacture green energy technologies such as wind turbines,
electric vehicles, and a wide variety of electronic devices. This text from the Critical Minerals Thematic Intelligence Report overview is telling:
"Critical minerals are key to transitioning to a low-carbon world. There are over 70 countries globally that have set net-zero targets and pledged to lower their emissions.
However, these widespread measures for a greener future are straining natural resources, especially the minerals required to produce energy transition technologies such as electric vehicles (EVs) and solar panels..."
The report goes on to reveal how these rare minerals are monopolized by just a few regions and how supply chain problems affect their recovery and distribution. In short, if Europe does not procure more Lithium, the energy transition EU President Ursula von der Leyen toots her horn about every other day will either be delayed or made unfeasible because of demand shortages.
US sees Ukraine as a 'business project' - Lavrov Jan 22, 2024
Recent statements from the US suggest it regards Ukraine as nothing but a "lucrative business project," one that it is profiting from, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the UN Security Council on Monday.
The minister was referring to earlier statements made by US State Secretary Antony Blinken. Last month, the top US diplomat claimed that 90% of the money allocated for Ukrainian aid ends up getting funneled back to the US "to the benefit of American business, local communities, and strengthening the US defense industrial base."
In November 2023, the Washington Post also reported that the majority of these funds were spent on manufacturing new weapons or replacing the equipment sent to Ukraine out of American stockpiles.
The US is essentially "developing its military industrial" complex while "dumping the old junk in Ukraine," Lavrov said. Russia's top diplomat also claimed that most major Ukrainian companies, including lithium producers, are being sold to Americans and US companies have been able to get their hands on Ukraine's fertile land "on the cheap."
Lavrov denounced the statements made by US officials as "cynical" and said:
"Washington has been treating the ongoing conflict not as a war that has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives ... but as a profitable business project."
Moscow is waging a military campaign not against Ukraine but against "a criminal regime, presumptuous in its impunity," he declared. Kiev has not forgone on the "war against its own citizens in the east and south" despite years-long efforts by Moscow to find a peaceful solution to this crisis, he explained, adding that over 7 million Ukrainians had found refuge in Russia since the 2014 Maidan coup.
Breaking! Putin found "Not Guilty" of corrupting the corrupt of Europe Apr 12, 2024
Viktor Medvedchuk was brazen enough to say the
EU (and its benefactors) intend to turn Ukraine into a "raw material appendage." (
See Lithium reposits in Donbas for reference)
Medvedev believes he knows why Kiev wants Donbass Sep 01, 2024
Ukraine and its sponsors only see Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics as a source of money, the former Russian president has said
Ukraine is fighting for Donbass because of the region's vast natural resources, which Kiev and its foreign backers want to exploit, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday.
The Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, which officially joined Russia together with Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions in the fall of 2022, are "completely alien" to Ukraine in terms of culture, Medvedev
wrote on Telegram. The reason why the Kiev authorities are trying to get them back so desperately, he explained, "is trivial: money is needed."
"The criminal clique" of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, which "has stolen so heavily,"has led the country's economy to "disaster," while Kiev's backers in the US and the EU have also "spent a lot" on aiding Ukraine during conflict, which "irritates" their populations, Medvedev, who serves as deputy chair of the Russian Security Council, also pointed out.
The West needs a "payback" from Ukraine, he said, adding that it has nothing to do with Zelensky personally. "This kid will be gone soon, but the debt will remain. And it must be paid off, with interest," the former president noted.
Medevdev reminded readers that, according to open-source data,
the natural resources located in Donbass are estimated to be worth $7.3 trillion. The area is rich in coal, metals, rare-earth elements and other valuable materials, including lithium, he added.
"To get access to the coveted minerals, the Western parasites shamelessly demand that their wards [in Kiev] wage war to the last Ukrainian," he wrote.
The Ukrainian war for lithium Oct 28, 2024
Why lithium attracts so much attention
There are moments in History that are characterized by a strong economic component, so predominant that we are said to be facing a revolution, passing through the ever dramatically present moment of war. Since the end of the 19th century that the world has been witnessing wars over oil; now, however, we have been a few years into those over rare earths, among which lithium, a mineral indispensable for smartphones and especially electric cars, plays a privileged role.
Foreign Office documents, examined by a British historian and journalist, show that the UK organized from top to bottom the overthrow of President Evo Morales in order to seize Bolivia's lithium reserves. Nothing new under the sun: the U.S.-Great Britain axis has been dirty business for centuries already, and this is hardly the first planned subversion or export of democracy by bombs and coups.
Is the above mention of Bolivia related to an article from Aug 26, 2016:
Bolivia in the cross-hairs: U.S. ramps up hybrid war efforts in wake of Chinese-Russian strategic partnerships with Bolivia
To the articles about the raw materials in Ukraine and western ambitions to control it, one could add that even if all of Ukraine became a safe for western exploitation, it would not end there. They would want Russia too:
NATO state's PM calls for breakup of Russia May 21, 2024
'West wants to defeat Russia militarily to get access to its wealth' - Hungarian premier Orban, Jun 9, 2024
McCain: Russia is a gas station, pretending to be a country, 2015, a bit old and sick, but the idea, as from later a Lindsey Graham, was largely reflective of a the US perspective.
What is missing from the above is more on the relation between the EU and the US. The US and the EU have long acted in Ukraine together even if the US has had more influence.
The future of the EU-US relations
Austerity in the EU: How European bureaucrats serve America's economic interests Apr 24, 2024
Once again, the European bureaucracy is living up to the saying that "what has born crooked, late or never is straightened out". This is the case with the European Union, which was built as a political response to a reality that is no longer there — the socialist bloc — and which, when faced with the absence of its vital force, embarked on an erratic process of enlargement, aimed above all at provoking Russia, creating the conditions for NATO expansion and responding to the monopolies' growing need for new markets and new sources of skilled and cheap labor, as is the case in Eastern Europe.
[...]
It's easy to cut and drop, what's difficult is to make it grow, when everything would lead you to believe that you could only cut. Today, in the EU, we are cutting straight across the board. The more Europe needs investment, the more it is guaranteed that it won't, demonstrating that there is no European measure that doesn't fit the American form.
Comment: This might well continue in one form or another. If the US, also with Trump as president, says to the EU, that more sanctions against such and such country are needed, it will most likely do as told.
Being a US 'ally' means silently watching your own destruction May 08, 2024
the administration headed by Biden operates as if it still had all the power on its side and, lacking the strength it normally relied on, adopts the stance of sabotage, disruption and causing instability in the "business environment" of its own "allies", when they are in the way between China and U.S.'s "national security" needs.
The damages to EU-Russian relations helped along and cemented under Obama, Trump 1, and Biden is unlikely to be undone in less than a generation.
With a bit of skill, a Trump presidency will be able to benefit from the ground work laid and facilitate the move, at least until the US economy one day crashes, of even more values from the EU into the US, while the EU might be left or assisted to fight with Russia or struggle with internal fragmentation as it pleases.
Many Europeans believe that the US could never do such a thing, but on the other hand, would a Trump or the US mind as long as the business is good? Syria is a useful example, recall the previously mentioned headline from Jan 2020:
Trump quadruples down on pledge to steal Syria's oil: 'The only troops I have are taking the oil' The silver lining for Syria, and maybe it will also for a Europe of the future that the US did to manage to wreck and control everything, a bit was left.
To help ponder the possibility of a more independent Western Europe in relation to the US-UK interests, there was on RT: 8 Nov, 2024 13:40
Why Russia needs an independent Africa
Could the same be said about Western Europe? It is quite certain some Eurocrats and residents of the "Garden" would be gravely offended by such a comparison with Africa, and also object to Africa being dependent on their former colonial powers and others, in the first place. Nevertheless, in a recent RT article there was: 8 Nov, 2024 11:42
EU ‘lacks brains’ – Putin
The bloc makes decisions based on a political agenda and not national interests, the Russian leader has said
The EU lacks leaders who act based on the national interests of their countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. He also claimed that the bloc’s current economic policies are devised by people with insufficient expertise who are guided by “vassalage” to the US.
“When I talk to my colleagues and experts – I don’t want to offend anyone – but I often ask them what the EU lacks. They answer that it lacks brains,” Putin said at the Valdai International Discussion Club in the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi on Thursday.
“It is not that they are stupid, but that the decisions in the economic sphere are made by politicians who have nothing to do with the economy,” the Russian leader stated.
As a result, the steps taken by the bloc, such as anti-Russia sanctions, are “politicized, ill-considered, and baseless,” he added.
We see that many European countries – and almost all NATO members – they take steps that work to the detriment of their own interests and only benefit US politics and economy.
Putin mentioned former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, whom he praised for acting “solely” in the interests of the German people. He cited one such example as being the construction of the Nord Stream pipelines, through which Russia supplied gas to Germany until their partial destruction due to sabotage in September 2022.
“Schroeder did not do that in the interests of Russia, did not do it in order to create conditions for us to obtain economic benefits, but solely in the interests of the German people, fighting to ensure that the best conditions for the supplies,” Putin stated. Schroeder “deliberately risked his political career” by making decisions “completely unpopular” among his peers, Putin added. The Russian leader lamented that “very few” politicians in Germany or the broader EU can do that today, arguing that this is why their economies are in a state of crisis.
The Russian leader also criticized EU politicians for abandoning Russian gas amid sanctions linked with the Ukraine conflict. This is “incomprehensible,” Putin said, as these same politicians “made so much noise” about their green goals, only to seek alternative supply sources and restart coal plants amid the energy crisis that resulted from their actions.
Putin stressed that the bloc needs more politicians such as Schroeder, who “have their own opinion,” are “consistent” in their policies, and act in the interests of the people.
“People see what’s really happening. If the gap between the ruling elites who are guided by other’s interests and the bulk of the population increases, nationally oriented political forces will grow… Everything will eventually lead to a weakening of this vassalage [to the US],” he stated.
So Putin, but opposition to the ruling EU elite will be opposed. At least there was: 31 Oct, 2024 15:19
Von der Leyen advised to create ‘EU CIA’ They will try to obstruct "nationally oriented forces", as they have already done in several countries, where such parties gained votes but were outflanked and ended up with comparatively little influence. It can however not be ruled out that some Europeans looking to the US will get ideas of their own, though others try to outdo each other in their ability to play the roles of sycophants. For a somewhat sarcastic, but justified take on the reactions to the US election result from some among the political elites of Western Europe, there was
8 Nov, 2024 15:08
Trump’s victory shatters the EU’s illusion of American benevolence
Having been so happy to be Uncle Sam’s passengers on a joyride, Western European leaders find themselves scrambling for the wheel
[...]
EU officials are almost begging Trump not to bend them over a barrel. Biden didn’t have to since they assumed the position for him voluntarily.
[...]
They’ve been acting like they’re facing imminent divorce from a marriage that everyone can see is toxic except them, behaving like a split from establishment Washington under Biden is about the worst thing that could happen to them. Right – because the EU is doing just so great right now, so is their riding shotgun with Uncle Sam on Ukraine. And on top of everything else, they’re really sticking it to Putin, who’s no doubt wiping his tears with Chinese yuan instead of euro now. And they’re not at all getting screwed on trade already with pricy American liquified natural gas to replace the cheap Russian gas. Life is just wonderful. Just ask all the Europeans who are voting the European establishment out in successive elections from France and eastern Germany to Austria and Slovakia.
https://www.rt.com/news/607284-trump-conservatism-bring-us-spirit/
But they figure that, if they’re forced into a transatlantic marriage with this Trump guy, then they’ll miss all the good times when the Biden administration was actually just gaslighting the heck out of them while the EU mistook it for goodwill.
Pro tip: Friends don’t muse, mafia-style, right in front of you (and the press), about ending your economic lifeline. They don’t adopt “green” policies that just happen to offer incentives to lure away your imploding industry as a result of Nord Stream getting mysteriously whacked. They don’t cheer you on in adopting anti-Russia sanctions that destroy your own economy while theirs doesn’t have nearly the same exposure – and then say that they’ll help you out by selling you pricier energy replacements.
The fact
that Western Europe is even lamenting Biden’s exit and Trump’s arrival sounds like it’s dealing with more of a clinical situation than a political one, particularly the way they’ve willingly assumed the position, yet again, despite fearing that they’d be made to.
"dealing with more of a clinical situation than a political one" This probably extends also to what the European NATO and EU countries may continue to work in Ukraine and invite as destinies for their own countries, be it with or without US support and encouragement. There is reason to doubt the conflict in Ukraine will all be over and done with any time soon. Eventually the fire will become smoldering embers, but when will it be extinguished? If the global elite would like depopulation, they have hardly begun in earnest, except in Ukraine - and war is of course only one of the tools. So summing it all up: "It is hard to predict precisely what will happen, but safe to claim there will be difficulties."
