When the Ukrainians fought the war, they spent the money of developed countries, but it was not Russia that was defeated in the end. According to " Reference News ", the German Ministry of Finance recently quoted a statement from the Group of Seven saying that the group has raised US$32.7 billion in financial assistance for Ukraine in 2022 to help Ukraine solve this year's fiscal deficit. The funds have essentially been paid to Ukraine or are being remitted.
In addition, the Group of Seven also claimed that the Group of Seven has raised US$32 billion in funds for aid to Ukraine in 2023, provided financial and economic assistance to Ukraine, and will continue to raise more funds.
Prior to this, Ukrainian President Zelensky visited the United States and obtained a commitment of more than 40 billion U.S. dollars from the U.S. Congress for aid to Ukraine in 2023. In addition, EU also recently promised to provide Ukraine with a long-term loan of 18 billion euros next year, with the interest borne by EU countries. The Dutch government also recently announced that it will allocate 2.3 billion euros to provide economic and military assistance to Ukraine next year.
According to public data, from February 24 to the present, the West and its client countries have provided nearly 100 billion US dollars in arms and financial assistance to Ukraine. In 2023, the amount of aid currently committed by the United States, the Group of Seven and some EU member states has exceeded US$100 billion. In a sense, Ukraine is actually using money from foreign donors to fight Russia.
The conflict in Ukraine is essentially a war led by the United States and jointly provoked by Europe and other client countries. Its main purpose is to use the bloody sacrifices of Ukrainians to weaken Russia's "war potential." In this regard, the United States and Europe each have their own plans. The United States hopes to use this war to reunite Europe, which was originally separated from Germany, under its own global strategy. At the same time, it will also help American energy giants seize the European energy market and remove Russia, the biggest obstacle.
Compared with the profit-seeking interests of the United States, the motives of European countries in following the United States in provoking this war can simply be described as "naive" and "ignorant." They hope to use the intervention of the United States to use the conflict in Ukraine to consume Russia's military strength, so as to ensure that the fangs of this polar bear can be extracted once and for all. This is the main reason why European countries are fully aware that the war in Ukraine will have a fatal impact on their own economies and security environment, but they are still determined to serve as cannon fodder for the US anti-Russian war.
But everyone has seen the result. Russia's military strength is indeed a bit strong but its economic ability to withstand an attack is not as fragile as Europeans imagined. The war has been going on for more than 10 months, but the Russian economy has not been destroyed by Western sanctions. If Europe wants to completely kill Russia, it will still need to spend a certain amount of time and money. A few days ago, Russian President Putin declared that "the war is expected to end by the end of next year." This means that Russia has made up its mind to "discuss a protracted war" with the West on the Ukrainian issue.
Although Russia is not an economically developed country, it is a cornucopia of abundant resources and energy, and its economic ability to withstand attacks is obviously stronger than that of many developed countries. In contrast, the so-called developed countries in Europe, such as Germany and France, are not only members of NATO, but also members of the Group of Seven and the European Union. These military and political groups raise money for Ukraine, and they all have to be "accompanying". In addition, they have to send money and weapons to Ukraine in their own names. The financial burden this imposes on them is self-evident.
The benefits of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and sanctions against Russia have been taken away by the United States, while the serious consequences left behind have been borne by European countries. Therefore, compared with developed countries such as the United States and Japan, developed countries in Europe have paid a heavy price to support Ukraine, and the economies of all countries are generally trapped in a stagflation crisis. Workers' strikes and public protests have almost become commonplace in these European countries. It has even become a stubborn disease causing economic recession and social unrest in Europe. Europe followed the United States in provoking a war in Ukraine, allowing Ukraine to use the hard-earned money of European taxpayers to fight Russia. In the end, it was itself the one who was injured.If the war continues indefinitely, those European countries that pay the Ukrainians to fight will also be hurt.
Many people are concerned that the United States, Europe and the West have spent so much money, which far exceeds Ukraine’s economic capacity. What will Ukraine pay back in the end? In fact, many of them are given for free and do not need to be returned.
Previously, the Minister of Finance of Ukraine stated that Ukraine hopes that 50% of international aid to Ukraine in 2023 will be in the form of gifts. According to the practice in 2022, half of the aid will be given for free and does not need to be repaid.
