Europe Must Lead Ukraine’s Reconstruction

• The US, largely, incites the destruction of Ukraine
• The EU, particularly Germany, is destroyed in the process
• The EU should pay for Ukraine’s reconstruction
• We break’em you fix’em!

Diplomatic Courier

Who should pay for Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction? Shortly after Russia’s invasion, my co-authors and I estimated that it would cost roughly €200-500 billion ($220-550 billion) to rebuild the country and called for Europe to spearhead the recovery effort. After more than 500 days of death and destruction, the projected costs have probably at least doubled. Consequently, the need for Europe to step up and assume responsibility has become increasingly urgent.

While the United States is also deeply invested in Ukraine’s future, as its massive economic and military support for the country has shown, there are several reasons why Europe must take the lead in coordinating and financing the country’s postwar recovery.

First, Europe’s interests are more closely aligned with Ukraine’s. ( Interesting, cause it certainly appears the US had very big interests of their own in Ukraine but, never mind) While the U.S. benefited enormously from the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, European countries reaped far greater rewards. Similarly, Europe has more to lose from a return to the pre-war status quo, not to mention from the looming threat of nuclear escalation.

Second, Europeans must realize that even if U.S. military support for Europe and Ukraine remains intact following the 2024 presidential election—a big “if,” given the current state of U.S. politics—America’s enthusiasm for long-term financial support will likely fade, regardless of the outcome. Both Democrats and Republicans are increasingly embracing populist stances, and today’s populists focus mostly on domestic issues, with little concern for the rest of the world.

Third, the European Union has already granted Ukraine candidate status, thereby acknowledging that the country is an integral part of Europe and should be part of the bloc. Given that Ukraine will most likely require substantial technical assistance to improve its governance standards and meet the conditions for accession, the EU must do all it can to expedite this process.
Moreover, European countries have been free riding on America’s military expenditure for decades. The U.S. currently spends twice as much as EU member states on national defense as a share of GDP.

If the US could reduce its military budget to European levels, it would save roughly $400 billion annually. Conversely, if Europe raised spending to U.S. levels, it would be spending at least $300 billion per year more, easily enough to pay for reconstructing Ukraine and much more. This amount would more than cover the EU’s portion of Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction.

You can read the rest at the linked provided.

One more thing… It’s Europe’s fault that Russia launched it’s SMO into Ukraine- Had you all bolstered your spending…..

Of course, we can only speculate whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would have refrained from attacking Ukraine had Europe bolstered its defensive capabilities