Political analyst points to declining European support for Ukraine
People in Europe are tired of the conflict in Ukraine, and support for Kiev is decreasing against this background. However, it is premature to talk about radical changes in the financing of Ukraine by European countries. Denis Denisov, an expert of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, pointed this out in a conversation with Izvestia.
"Trends in the European Union can be characterized as the beginning of a storm. The fact is that Europe itself is just as tired of the conflict as Ukraine, and this affects public opinion, affects the priorities in electoral campaigns," he said.
The political analyst noted that now Europeans vote for those people who express ideas synchronized with the public opinion. For example, sociological studies show that in most EU countries the level of funding and military cooperation with Ukraine is decreasing.
"[New people] come to power, therefore. Often, of course, populists, but at the same time the trend is obvious. Europe is getting a bit stormy, but this does not mean that there are any tectonic shifts that could radically change the position of key EU states regarding the conflict [in Ukraine]," the publication's interlocutor summarized.
Earlier, on 7 January, Forbes magazine said that the level of European aid to Ukraine would drop amid Kiev's decision to stop the transit of Russian gas to Western countries. The publication drew attention to the fact that on the first trading day after the cessation of supplies, natural gas prices rose by 4 percent, which will increase the cost of heating for consumers.
At the same time, Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations Minister Péter Szijjártó called it unacceptable for Ukraine to stop transit of Russian gas and crude oil. The minister drew attention to the fact that such a decision by Kiev contradicts its aspirations to join the EU.
Prior to that, on January 5, the leader of the French Patriots party, Florian Philippot, said that the EU might soon stop military support for Ukraine because it had squandered resources to pay Kiev's expenses.
Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine amid Russia's special operation to protect Donbas, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 24 February 2022 after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.
