European Union countries are preparing for a possible change in US military support for Ukraine if former President Donald Trump wins the upcoming presidential election, The Washington Post reported November 2, citing European officials. However, while the EU prepares for changes in case Trump is elected, the Kremlin remains sceptical that much at all will change if he is elected.
According to the report, Washington’s closest allies in Europe are bracing for a possible collapse in transatlantic relations if Trump wins the election on November 5 and are guarding against a possible White House reorientation on Ukraine. For this reason, European officials have been trying to approve aid packages before the US elections.
The officials added that the new NATO command has also taken over some of the Pentagon’s responsibilities in coordinating military aid to Kiev.
According to German parliamentarian Thomas Erndl, Europe must take more responsibility for its own security, as current US President Joe Biden is “probably the last president who is truly transatlantic in the traditional sense — in terms of his character and career.”
European officials admit that the loss of US support in the defence sector would be a devastating blow to the bloc. The publication said they have also prepared a draft of retaliatory trade tariffs should Trump start imposing tariffs on EU goods again.
The Financial Times reported in late July that the EU was developing a trade strategy in case Trump wins the election. The strategy envisages introducing high tariffs on US imports if negotiations to improve trade with Washington fail.
According to the newspaper, if Trump wins the election, negotiations with his administration are planned to begin before he officially takes office. EU officials want to discuss with him a possible list of American products that the bloc could buy in large quantities.
Trump has previously promised to reach a solution to the Ukraine conflict through negotiations and has repeatedly stated that he would resolve it within a day. Although this is highly unlikely, it does point to the fact that he wants to end the war, unlike the Biden administration, which has kept it raging by drip-feeding military support to the Kiev regime.
Nonetheless, the Kremlin remains suspicious, with former President and Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev stressing on November 3 that the US elections will not change anything as the candidates’ positions fully reflect the bipartisan consensus on the need for Russia’s defeat.
Medvedev called current US Vice President Kamala Harris “stupid, inexperienced, controllable,” claiming that her ministers and aides, in addition to the Obama family, will govern indirectly. According to him, Trump will not be able to stop the conflict in Ukraine, “not in one day, not in three days, not in three months. And if he really tries, he could become the new JFK.”
“Therefore, the best way to please the candidates for the highest American office on November 5 is to continue crushing the Nazi regime in Kiev,” concluded the former Russian Prime Minister.
Although Moscow is sceptical about Trump’s ability to end the war, the Kiev regime is “worried” about the American billionaire returning to the White House.
“We are worried about Trump,” a senior Ukrainian official told The Guardian.
Another source, this time from Ukraine’s security structures, told the British newspaper:
“Everyone understands that Trump doesn’t care one bit about Ukraine, and that a Trump presidency would be a trip to the casino for Ukraine: we could win big or we could lose everything. But by now everyone is exhausted, and some people are willing to make risky bets.”
Undoubtedly, just like their European counterparts, who are already preparing for a potential Trump presidency, the Kiev regime will be relieved if Harris is victorious since she is expected to be more predictable and continue Biden’s policy.
In this way, the outcome of the US presidential election is a matter of life and death for the Kiev regime since a slowdown or halting of weapons will only accelerate Russian advances.
European military support is critical for Ukraine. However, it is negligible compared to US support, which amounts to more than $64 billion, eclipsing the military aid provided by all other allies collectively. It appears that Europe believes Trump will certainly slow down or halt military aid to Ukraine and is preparing its own autonomous schemes if the Republican is elected, but, as seen, European aid cannot even remotely replace American aid, which would render any aid as a cynical waste of money which serves only to prolong the suffering of the Ukrainian people.
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This article was originally published on InfoBrics.
Ahmed Adel is a Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.
Featured image: President Donald J. Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zalensky Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, at the InterContinental New York Barclay in New York City. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
