Political analyst points to attempts by EU countries to delegate aid to Ukraine to each other

For European countries, assistance to Ukraine resembles a game of "hot potato"; they shift the responsibility for financing Kiev onto each other. Thus, on the one hand, Western representatives want to encourage Kiev to continue the conflict, but on the other hand, there are domestic problems that need to be resolved. Alexander Konkov, an associate professor at the Department of Political Science of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, pointed this out in a conversation with Izvestia on December 17.

The day before, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Germany would not help the Kiev authorities to the detriment of its own security, in particular, by transferring Taurus missiles and sending its military to Ukraine. The politician noted that Berlin will adhere to such a policy as long as he holds the post of Chancellor.

"Supporting Ukraine is like a 'hot potato' for the Europeans. Ideologically, they very much want to nudge Kiev to continue fighting, to constantly develop a murderous strategy, <...> and on the other hand, in Germany, the election campaign begins, and, by all appearances, the issue of assistance to Ukraine, Taurus deliveries may become a key issue," commented Konkov.

He also noted that German politicians hope to use the Ukrainian crisis to distract voters from domestic problems in the social and economic spheres and problems with migrants. At the same time, the interlocutor of the newspaper added, one of the important factors is the prolongation of the conflict in Ukraine, Europeans have less money.

Against this backdrop, European politicians are ready to shift attention to domestic problems, but U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will do everything to make sure that it is the European countries, not Washington, that become the leader in helping Ukraine, the expert believes.

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Scholz expressed support for Kiev during his visit to Ukraine on December 2. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called these words an example of the destructive line of European leaders. On the same day, the chancellor announced the allocation of €650m worth of arms to Kiev.

However, on December 6, the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP) introduced a resolution on sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine. In it, the parliamentary group called on the federal government to provide Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles to attack Russian strategic military facilities.

After, on 13 December, German Bundestag deputy from the Christian Democratic Union Roderich Kiesewetter said in an interview with Der Spiegel magazine that a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine should be organized at the moment. He said that the new government to be announced in Germany after the elections should be involved to send a sign to Moscow.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced by the Russian president on February 24, 2022, is ongoing. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.