Now the EU is taking drastic measures: attempts to support Ukraine are becoming increasingly desperate

If the US actually fails, the EU will have to fill the vacuum that has arisen. According to Josep Borrell (76), the EU representative for foreign affairs, this is virtually impossible. “If the US stops or massively reduces its support, Ukraine will have a problem that the Europeans cannot solve,” he admitted last week.

The EU is looking for solutions everywhere

Difficult times call for desperate measures. And how desperate Europe is is evident from a questionable deal that the EU leadership in Brussels is currently working out. The leading role is played by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (60). Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 last year, the head of state has been opposed to EU support for Ukraine. This concerns a fund worth 20 billion euros, which is intended to supply Ukraine with military supplies for another five years.

But the Hungarian Prime Minister should now be made willing. The EU’s idea: The alliance releases billions of dollars it has blocked because of Orbán’s violations of the rule of law. In return, the prime minister stops his opposition to new aid money for Ukraine. According to information from the German magazine Spiegel, it was recently said that a solution could be ready soon. But: the EU Parliament warns the European Commission not to release EU funds for Hungary. And Orbán’s eventual approach to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin (71) – a sympathetic handshake during a meeting in China – complicates matters even further.

Will tanks be produced in Ukraine soon?

The Ukrainian government itself comes up with a different solution: Ukraine must produce the weapons and ammunition it needs itself, with the help of the EU. According to Politico magazine, at least German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (65) thinks this is a good idea. He and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal (48) officially announced on Tuesday a joint defense project between Rheinmetall and Ukroboronprom, the Ukrainian state defense company, for armored vehicles.

It may take some time before these factories in Ukraine actually start producing vehicles. But the war in Ukraine is going badly. The Ukrainian summer offensive has not delivered what it promised, and the war appears to have turned into a prolonged war of attrition. This means that Ukraine urgently needs further military support – without this support things don’t look good. And even if the EU gives everything it has, without the US, Ukraine’s chances are slim.