Podcast “Ukraine – the situation”
Blockade in the US Senate: Military expert Mölling expects US aid to Ukraine to be interrupted
Storm clouds darken the sky over the US Capitol (archive image)
© J. Scott Applewhite / DPA
Ukraine is facing a harsh winter with supply problems: security expert Christian Mölling expects an interruption in American deliveries due to the blockade in the US Senate.
Security expert Christian Mölling does not expect a quick agreement in the US Congress on further support for Ukraine and expects an interruption in American deliveries. Mölling said on Friday star-Podcast “Ukraine – the situation”: “As things stand, it looks as if there will be no more promises of aid this year.” The question now is whether the US government can find ways to raise money 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 can maintain its war efforts without new aid from the USA. But Ukraine’s development is already doing massive damage. “This is a pretty dramatic situation,” said Mölling, given the bitter dispute between Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress over deliveries.
Mölling: EU cannot fill 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 support” – it is large in the East and decreases towards the West. However, the large and powerful economies in the EU are in the West. In addition, Hungary’s Prime Minister Victor Orban is hindering joint decisions. “We will see that the European Union will no longer deliver because it will initially be blocked,” said Mölling. “We’re at a pretty difficult point.”
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According to Mölling’s assessment, the behavior of the Western states in the Ukraine conflict also affects their attractiveness for potential partners. He said: “The commitments are declining. If it stays that way, then the reliability and performance with partners outside Europe will of course be significantly questioned.”
Russia, on the other hand, presents itself as a possible alternative – as was recently the case during President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Saudi Arabia. In doing so, Putin gives the Saudis the opportunity to make it clear to the USA: “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.”