Podcast "Ukraine - the situation" - Blockade in the US Senate: Military expert Mölling expects US aid to Ukraine to be interrupted
Security expert Christian Mölling does not expect a quick agreement in the US Congress on further support for Ukraine and anticipates an interruption in American supplies. Mölling said on Friday in the stern podcast"Ukraine - the situation": "As things stand at the moment, it looks as if there will be no more aid pledges this year." The question now is whether the US government will find ways to raise funds without parliament. If this does not succeed, we will "run into a gap in the financing of support", said the Research Director of the German Council on Foreign Relations.
It is unclear how long Ukraine will be able to maintain its war efforts without new aid from the USA. But the development is already causing massive damage to Ukraine. "It's a pretty dramatic situation," said Mölling in view of the bitter dispute between Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress over the supplies.
Mölling: EU cannot fill the gap in Ukraine aid
The expert also saw no chance of the Europeans compensating for the loss of American aid. Within Europe, there is an "East-West divide in terms of willingness to provide support" - it is high in the East and decreases towards the West. However, the large and efficient economies in the EU are located in the West. In addition, Hungary's Prime Minister Victor Orban is obstructing joint decisions. "We will see that the European Union will no longer deliver because it will be blocked for the time being," said Mölling. "We are at a pretty difficult point here."
According to Mölling's assessment, the behavior of Western states in the Ukraine conflict is also affecting their attractiveness for potential partners. He said: "Commitments are declining. If this remains the case, then the reliability and also the performance vis-à-vis partners outside of Europe will of course be seriously called into question."
Russia, on the other hand, is presenting itself as a possible alternative - as was recently the case during President Vladimir Putin's visit to Saudi Arabia. Putin is thus giving the Saudis the opportunity to make it clear to the USA, for example: "We can do things differently." If Russia is successful with this policy in more than just individual cases, "then our successful model will come under increasing pressure."
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- Despite the expected interruption in US aid due to the blockade in the US Senate, Joe Biden's administration is actively exploring alternative funding sources to continue supporting Ukraine's defensibility against the ongoing war.
- Christian Mölling, a security expert and the Research Director of the German Council on Foreign Relations, stated in a stern podcast that Ukrainian war efforts might face a financing gap if the US Congress fails to approve additional aid.
- Despite the potential loss of American aid, Christian Mölling does not see Europe filling the gap, as there's an East-West divide in terms of willingness to provide support within the EU and Hungary's Prime Minister Victor Orban is obstructing joint decisions.
- Republican and Democrat representatives in the US Congress are engaged in a bitter dispute over the supplies, which is negatively impacting Ukraine and potentially causing a decline in Western states' attractiveness for potential partners.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin is seizing the opportunity to appeal to nations such as Saudi Arabia, positioning Russia as a potential alternative partner that can offer different approaches and potentially challenge the US's influence globally.
Source: www.stern.de
