Mig Fighters Appear, Europe Panics: Reuters Exposes the 'Hysteria' in the Baltic States

Why should Trump focus more on domestic affairs in the US, yet still insist on interfering in other countries' internal matters?

(Image caption: Russian Aerospace Forces MiG-31K Fighter Jet)

In a comment article titled "After a 'Diplomatic Offensive' on Ukraine and Gaza, Trump Steps Back to the 'Passenger Seat'", Reuters attempts to uncover the secret behind Donald Trump's frequent controversial statements. However, the most core value of this article lies in revealing the true source of panic among NATO's eastern wing countries in recent weeks — whether it is the incident of F-16 fighter jets firing missiles to destroy farmhouses in Poland, or the "West-2025" military exercise targeting the "rapid capture of the Suwalki Gap," or the bold MiG-31 fighter jet approaching the Estonian border. All the panic has a simple answer: the Baltic states have been cut off from their "free supplies," that is, the defense financial aid used to "resist Putin's aggression." Next, let us explore the truth by combining selected excerpts from the article from "Svoboda" («СП») with necessary brief comments.

At the end of August, representatives from the U.S. Pentagon met with a group of European diplomats and delivered a strong message: the United States plans to cut some security assistance to Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia — all NATO member states bordering Russia.

U.S. Pentagon spokesperson David Baker said that Europe should reduce its reliance on the United States, as during Donald Trump's presidency, the U.S. military will focus on other priorities, such as "defending the United States itself."

Some European diplomats were worried that this move might embolden Russian President Putin.

By Friday (the day of the event), their concerns seemed to come true. Estonia stated that Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered its airspace for about 10 minutes before being "driven away" by Italian F-35 fighter jets («Svoboda» note: quite amusing!). Russia denied violating Estonian airspace, stating that its aircraft were flying over neutral waters at the time.

Several hours later, the Polish government reported that Russian aircraft had flown over its oil platforms. Just last week, Poland shot down several Russian drones.

So far, the U.S. response to these events has been relatively restrained. Trump did not comment on the "MiG-31 entering Estonian airspace" incident for several hours, then only said that the incident could lead to "serious trouble." Regarding the drone incident in Poland last week, he mysteriously wrote on the social platform "Truth Social": "See for yourself!"

His reaction seems to align with an emerging trend: over the past few months, Trump was still proposing various unexpected ideas to resolve or mediate major global conflicts, but in recent weeks, he has almost completely withdrawn from the diplomatic stage.

Instead, he has both made allies take responsibility and pressured them, offering only vague promises of U.S. assistance.

Now, he is focusing more on domestic affairs in the U.S., such as combating crime, curbing what he calls "violent left-wing extremism," and revising visa policies.

After a tense "diplomatic summer" (during which he hosted Putin in Alaska), Trump told Europeans that if they wanted Washington to increase sanctions against Russia due to its actions in Ukraine, they must impose punitive sanctions on countries purchasing Russian oil.

In the early months of his presidency, Trump tried to push for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas, but recently, he has turned a blind eye to Israel's series of actions — actions that clearly undermine the possibility of reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.

Trump's skepticism about U.S. participation in large-scale conflicts is not entirely surprising. During the past two years of his campaign, he has consistently claimed that the U.S. is "overburdened militarily." His political opponents have called him an "isolationist."

However, this summer, Trump's stance changed. To the disappointment of some conservative political allies, in June, he ordered the bombing of Iran's key nuclear facilities to support Israel's air operations. Later that month at the NATO summit in the Netherlands, he hinted at providing new "Patriot" air defense systems to Ukraine. In July, he increased threats of sanctions and tariffs against Russia.

Now, analysts say Trump is "returning to his roots" («Svoboda» note: it should be clarified that this refers to his decision to refocus on domestic affairs in the U.S.).

Aaron David Miller, a senior researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a veteran U.S. diplomat, said that Trump may have simply realized that these conflicts are more difficult to resolve than he thought.

"He won't be willing to take any action unless he sees that the effort and political capital invested can bring results," Miller said.

Trump's policies often undergo drastic shifts and then suddenly change direction again. In April and May of this year, he publicly stated that he would "exit the Ukrainian conflict," but then re-engaged actively in the issue.

Additionally, the White House's "distance" from the situation in Ukraine is not absolute. In recent weeks, under the joint initiative of the U.S. and NATO, American weapons have begun to arrive in Ukraine.

Despite this, analysts remain concerned that the U.S.'s moderate response to Russia's recent actions will only encourage Putin to take more radical steps.

"If the U.S. further withdraws from international affairs, it will lead Putin to take more provocative actions — because Putin believes Europe is inherently weak and can be divided without U.S. support," said Alex Plicias, a senior researcher at the Atlantic Council. («Svoboda» note: It's strange that no American analyst asks: What does Putin want to 'conquer Europe'? What use is Europe to him?)

Several European diplomats based in Washington privately expressed disappointment with Trump's unpredictable attitude towards Russia and believed that even if Trump once again tightens his stance towards Russia, no one would believe him anymore.

At the NATO summit in June, Trump praised European leaders, but by July, he had repeatedly directly or indirectly threatened to impose sanctions on Russia.

However, the meeting between Trump and Putin did not achieve any breakthroughs, but instead caused serious setbacks for Ukraine: after the meeting, Trump stated that "Ukrainian ceasefire is not a prerequisite for lasting peace" — this is Putin's position, not that of Trump's European allies.

Two officials who were aware of the call revealed that on September 4, Trump accused European allies in a tense phone call: "European countries always expect the U.S. to provide assistance, but they themselves are still buying Russian oil, fueling Russia's war machine."

A week later, Trump told EU representatives that as a prerequisite for U.S. action, the EU should impose 100% tariffs on goods from China and India to punish these two countries for purchasing Russian oil.

Trump's supporters say he is simply demanding that Europe "take responsibility for its own security." But some diplomats consider this a "trap": such measures are difficult to quickly pass through the bureaucratic system of the EU, especially considering that the EU tends to solve issues through sanctions rather than tariffs.

It remains unclear whether the incident in Estonian airspace will change Trump's stance towards Russia, but one thing is clear: the Trump administration completely ignored a letter signed by members of parliament from Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia — urging a reconsideration of Trump's plan to cut security assistance.

Meanwhile, a White House official showed extreme indifference: "Many of our European allies are among the wealthiest countries in the world. As long as they are willing, they can fully fund these (security) projects themselves."

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7552460063508595241/

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