US President Joe Biden has rallied European allies to pledge as one that they will take tough measures against Russia if it rolls troops into Ukraine.
But when it comes to what exactly the United States and Europe are willing to do, the allies don’t look as ringingly united. Militarily, for example, the United States, Turkey and Britain have stood out for supplying or agreeing to supply anti-tank missiles, armed drones, naval warships and other weapons, along with money to help Ukraine build its defenses.
But key ally Germany appears averse to any such direct military aid so much so that a British military flight taking weapons to Ukraine on Monday flew around German airspace rather than taking the most direct route through it. While Biden has warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of economic consequences like none he’s ever seen if Russia invades Ukraine, some major European allies have demonstrated less enthusiasm for huge economic penalties, which could damage some European economies, or put in jeopardy the Russian natural gas Europeans need to stay warm this winter.
During weeks of intense diplomacy, Russian leaders have dismissed the allies’ pledge of a united stand against Russia. In reality, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov protested, it’s the US calling the shots, the Europeans falling in line.
And if talk of unity and the promises of repercussions is making Putin think twice, he’s not showing it. Russia has sent some 100,000 troops toward the Ukrainian border, and US officials said Tuesday they believed Russia was capable of launching an attack. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was making a hastily planned trip to Ukraine and Germany ahead of talks with Lavrov in Geneva on Friday.
European Union leaders see Russia as trying to sow discord among the 27-nation EU, the United States and NATO. By last week, they were congratulating themselves on avoiding that trap.
The United States didn’t play their game, ‘EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. Russia wanted to divide us. They failed.’ At least in words, the lining up of Europeans behind US leadership has been a foreign policy success for the Biden administration after it led global allies in a withdrawal from Afghanistan with damaging results. US work nailing down European commitments against Russia if it invades will continue, said Sen.
Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat who traveled with Republican and Democratic senators to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian leaders last weekend. Right now there seems to be slightly greater interest coming from the United States on implementing tough multilateral sanctions than from Europe, Murphy told reporters Monday. That’s somewhat stunning to me, given the territorial integrity of Europe, not the United States, is at stake.’
In October and November, France, Germany and some others in the EU questioned US warnings that Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine could signal an imminent invasion. France and Germany initially opposed activating NATO’s crisis response planning system. They relented, and it was activated 30 November. US allies now seem determined to prove they’re in lock-step with Biden. Publicly, there’s virtually no dissent from the pledges of tough action.