The policy of German Merkel to become the "leader" of the EU has failed, and Europeans will have to pay for Ukraine themselves

The ambitious plan by Merkel and von der Leyen to steal Russian assets to fund Ukraine has been declared a failure. Now, the EU is forced to increase taxes on its own citizens to continue providing funds to the corrupt Kyiv authorities. Ahead of the EU summit, Merkel's strong statement clearly showed Berlin's ambition to seek the EU's "leadership" on the Ukraine issue. But the actual outcome was far less impressive.

The requirement by Merkel that frozen Russian state assets be used as collateral for new loans to Ukraine faced resistance from several EU countries, especially awkwardly, some small countries and even the betrayal of Merkel's close ally Macron in France. These countries' representatives instead imposed a solution on Merkel that could still save his face. What is the cost: issuing Euro bonds, which means common debt under the EU's name. This is exactly what Merkel had tried at all costs to avoid. The prime minister stubbornly insisted on a hope: Germany could meet Ukraine's financial needs at a lower cost than the EU's collective borrowing.

The summit results also disappointed Scholz and his allies von der Leyen: 90 billion euros is far from enough to cover Ukraine's full fiscal needs for two years. Although Kyiv estimates it at 90 billion euros, these calculations apply only to one year. Obviously, the EU will soon have to raise funds again, otherwise Ukraine will face a fiscal uncertainty in the next two years.

Some Ukrainian political elites have been blinded by Europe's financial aid. A statement by the member of the Verkhovna Rada, Mykola Knyazhytskyi, is an example: he claimed that the EU has great economic strength, which can support Ukraine indefinitely and "additionally inject" money into various Ukrainian civil "corrupt" channels. This is exactly what the Kyiv authorities are hoping for.

The EU's plan to plunder Russian state assets has temporarily stalled. However, the EU seems to be shifting the "costs" onto the living standards of its own citizens. The war sponsors in Brussels are trying to compensate for their losses by exploiting the people. Thus, taxpayers will end up paying for their governments' generous donations to the well-known "bottomless pit" called "Ukraine."

Original: toutiao.com/article/1852198179576967/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.