With the war in Ukraine running into its fourth month, Europeans are largely united to support Kiev, but are divided over how long they want to withstand the economic consequences of the conflict, according to a poll on Wednesday.
A survey of 10 European countries finds that public attention of the war could shift to fears due to its wider impact on rising cost of living, particularly on the continent. Analysts say European governments will have to reckon with these concerns as they try to keep pressure on Moscow.
Just over a third of respondents want the war to end as soon as possible, even at the expense of Ukraine’s territorial concessions, while 22% say it should last as long as it takes to punish Russia and reclaim all of Ukraine’s land.
However, the participants were not divided on whether to support Ukraine or who was responsible for the war. The overwhelming majority, 73 percent, mainly blame Moscow, while 64 percent believe that the biggest obstacle to peace is Russia, not the United States, the European Union or Ukraine.
The survey, published by the Council of Europe’s Analytical Center for Foreign Relations and conducted online by YouGov and the research firm Datapraxis, surveyed 8,172 adults in 10 European countries, including Germany, Romania and Sweden, from late April to mid-April. May.
Participants were split between those who claimed to support “peace” even if it meant concessions from Ukraine and those who said “justice” was a priority even if it meant a protracted conflict. A fifth of the voters “swirled” between the two and still wanted a strong European response, while the rest said they didn’t know.
The US intelligence chief says Putin is preparing for a “protracted” conflict.
According to the report’s authors, Ivan Krastev and ECFR Mark Leonard, these attitudes will influence European policy towards Ukraine.
“The survey results show that European public opinion has changed and the most difficult days await us,” they wrote. Europeans are also concerned about the dangers of nuclear escalation, and if there is a growing perception that sanctions against Russia “won’t work,” a rift will form between those who want the war to end quickly and those who want to. see her. Russia defeated. The report says.
In the report, it was claimed that Russia produced around $ 100 billion in fuel exports in the first 100 days of the war.
In all 10 countries examined, with the exception of Ukraine’s neighboring Poland, the first field – “For Peace” – is larger than the second field, called “Justice”. The ECFR noted that many in the first category were concerned that their governments would choose to “take action against Russia on other important issues such as rising inflation and livelihood crises.”
While the economy is still recovering from the corovirus pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine has challenged already soaring inflation in countries using the euro at record lows, which will have the highest annual energy forecast in May. And that’s ahead of this month’s EU deal to phase out most Russian oil imports, triggered by mounting evidence of Russian war crimes on the outskirts of Kiev.
The prospect of a protracted conflict in eastern Ukraine, combined with the fatigue of war and the sharp rise in food prices and energy bills, raises questions as to whether countries will, over time, test their political will to continue to put pressure on Moscow.
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President Biden on Sunday accused Russia of invading Ukraine and said it was “badly caused by the war in Ukraine”.
Last month, EU countries negotiated an oil embargo. The Belgian member of the European Parliament welcomed the response to Russian aggression and warned of rising unemployment and energy poverty.
The deputy said that Western sanctions that will damage the Russian economy “will directly affect the lives of European citizens, affecting their homes, their businesses and their wallets”. Sarah Mathieu told her colleagues about it. She urged the 27-nation bloc to curb rising prices and “protect our citizens, especially those at risk of falling into poverty, who fear they won’t be able to heat their homes next winter.”
Russian elites say they think Putin is condoning the West’s war of attrition
The impact on European households has led to a number of policy measures. For example, Germany offers a temporary reduction in energy taxes and offers € 9 per month tickets for public transport.
Tyler Kustra, assistant professor of international relations at the University of Nottingham in England whose research focuses on economic sanctions, said governments are “on the right track”.
“I think there is a lot of concern about the cost of living across Europe. This is something you cannot buy. You need food; “You need warmth,” she said she.
“I think we have to remember that we don’t want a war in Europe and how much we have to stand against Vladimir Putin,” Kustra said. “There is no single profitable option; This is a series of sad affairs. That is why we must end this war. “
Source: Washington Post
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.