Expert: Let us not swallow Putin's bloody omelet
ERR.ee (Estonian Public Broadcasting)
Opinion
Meelis Oidsalu, security expert, former (Estonian) Ministry of Defense undersecretary
Source: Kairit Leibold / ERR
If chef Vladimir Putin will be allowed to gulp down his colonial Ukraine omelet and gifted a box of fresh eggs to boot, this will only increase the Kremlin's motivation to try and restore spheres of influence in its near vicinity and the Baltic region. Donald Trump's brand on neo-colonialism seems to be downright conducive of these developments, writes security expert Meelis Oidsalu.
The new U.S. administration is touring Europe this week, expressing how exhausted they are from supporting Ukraine alone and suggesting that the war should be ended on terms favorable to Vladimir Putin.
However, data from the Kiel Institute on aid to Ukraine shows that Europe has provided and pledged twice as much assistance as the United States. This is partly due to Europe's decision to utilize revenues from frozen Russian assets, but the gap remains significant nonetheless.
Europe may lack weaponry, but financially, we collectively have the capacity to offset the impact of any interruption in U.S. aid. Estonia's proposed strategy for financing Ukraine's victory, at 0.25 percent of GDP, was calculated under the assumption that the U.S. would also participate. If this percentage needs to double due to the U.S. withdrawing, it remains a fairly moderate additional effort — especially considering the vast sums spent on addressing the COVID-19 crisis. Supporting Ukraine further is more feasible for Europe than we might be willing to admit.
https://news.err.ee/1609604072/expert-let-us-not-swallow-putin-s-bloody-omelet