Putin plays long game as the West turns its back on Ukraine
IT’S been a shameful week for Western democracies, us included, as we all show clear signs of turning our backs on Ukraine. And it’s been a great week for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and his prophecy that soft and cuddly democracies would soon grow weary of funding a war they mistakenly believe is not being waged on their behalf. The smile has returned to the bloody face of the Russian bear as he continues to gorge on Ukraine.
You don’t need to be an expert in history to know how good Russia has always been at playing the long game. Putin is displaying the forethought and patience of a chess master, despite his army losing over 85% of the soldiers it had when he launched his unprovoked full-blown invasion of Ukraine in February of last year.
On top of that, Putin has suffered a massive loss of equipment, including more than 60% of his tanks. And he’s been humiliated by the fight-back resilience of the Ukrainian army and people. But then he dug in – doubled down as his cowardly lion would-be foes in the West might say.
The Wall Street Journal reported in October how Putin aimed to outlast the West by putting Russia’s economy on a war footing, and this month there were more indications that Western sanctions are simply not working. According to Bloomberg, Russia is finding ways around the sanctions and in many areas the economy is rebounding.
THIS is not the time for the West to buckle, but that’s precisely what’s happening. Hungary’s right-wing prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has always preferred Putin to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and this week dramatically absented himself temporarily from an EU summit as the other leaders agreed to commence talks on membership for Ukraine. However, he blocked a €50bn EU aid package for Ukraine, vital support that’s now pushed back to early next year, at least.
Germany has admitted that it will fall far short of its target of one million artillery shells for Ukraine by next March, managing only less than half of that. The rest of the Nato countries have also failed to ramp up the production of military equipment to support Ukraine.
In effect, these countries have wasted almost two years, despite being on full notice of the threat posed by Putin to Europe’s fundamental freedoms. Meanwhile
Slovakia, with a new government installed, has withdrawn all support for Ukraine and there is further concern about Ukrainian aid in the Netherlands after the election success of Geert Wilders.
But the biggest betrayal of all is taking place in the United States where Republicans are blocking President Joe Biden’s $60bn (€55bn) aid package over their demands for more security on the border with Mexico. The existential threat to democracy presented by the Russian dictator is ignored in favour of a bitter domestic political and culture war – the beleaguered people of Ukraine caught in the crossfire.
And then there’s Ireland, where this week also the Government announced slash-and-burn cuts to support for Ukrainian refugees arriving here as a result of Putin’s war. Measures signed off by Leo Varadkar, Micheál Martin and Roderic O’Gorman mean that social welfare paid to Ukrainians will fall sharply from the current €220 a week to just €38.80, and even worse, accommodation will from now on be provided for only a maximum of 90 days.
AFTER that, the Ukrainian victims of Putin’s tyranny will have to make their own arrangements. There’s the door, off with ye, the great Irish welcome emptied of meaning. In a moment rich in irony, Eamon Ryan and others were saving humanity from carbon emissions at the COP28 summit in Dubai, ensuring that when dictator Putin and his successors in title goose-step their battalions through Ukraine and elsewhere he’ll at least be able to breathe in the fresh air of a world returning to nature.