Afrasianet - Khalid Al , Buhali - Europe seems to be coming out with zero or limited gains from Ukraine that are not equal to what it has given it, all as a result of the wrong strategic decisions it has made.

The recent agreement between Ukraine and the United States sparked controversy among European leaders over giving preference to American companies in reconstruction and exploitation of natural resources. According to its texts, the agreement also devoid of any US security obligations, without contradicting the path of Ukraine's accession to the European Union, while the issue of its accession to NATO was postponed to future peace negotiations with Russia under US auspices.

This fact raises many questions about the fate of Europe's future role in Ukraine during the post-war phase, especially as it has descended with all its economic, military and political weight in the current conflict in compliance with US pressure exerted by the administration of former US President Joe Biden to support Kiev. 

First, when states invest in international conflicts, it is done according to careful calculations of potential post-conflict political and economic gains, which enhances their geopolitical influence, as any participation that lacks these calculations is absurd and useless.

Moreover, it should take into account the allies involved in the war, especially in terms of their international power and influence, especially if they are the size of a country such as the United States of America, in order to ensure that the expected returns are proportional to the size of the contribution to the conflict.  

SECOND, IT IS CLEAR FROM THE CONTENTS OF THE AGREEMENT THAT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HAS BECOME THE BIGGEST BENEFICIARY OF THIS WAR AS THE MAIN SUPPORTER OF THE KIEV REGIME IN ITS WAR AGAINST RUSSIA, DESPITE THE ACTIVE EUROPEAN PARTICIPATION IN THIS WAR, WHICH EXCEEDED ITS AMERICAN COUNTERPART, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST STATISTICS PUBLISHED ABOUT THREE MONTHS AGO BY THE KIEL INSTITUT INSTITUTE FOR WORLD ECONOMY, THE VOLUME OF VARIOUS ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY EUROPE TO UKRAINE AGAINST THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION SINCE THE OUTBREAK OF THE CONFLICT AMOUNTED TO ABOUT 138 BILLION DOLLARS, AN INCREASE OF 19 UOne billion dollars for the support allocated by the United States of America, which amounted to 119 billion dollars. 

Third, when Europeans engaged in war, they were motivated by uncalculated zeal, influenced by two main factors: first, American claims of the so-called "Russian threat," which it poses to the security of the European continent and that the United States has always aggressively promoted in European political circles to blackmail it; and second, the unbridled ambitions of European leaders regarding the economic and geopolitical gains that Europe could reap after the end of the conflict. 

The administration of former US President Joe Biden succeeded in pushing Europe to engage in this war, which could have been avoided if European leaders had understood early on the nature of the strategic trap that had been set for them carefully, with the aim of weakening the European continent and reducing the tendency to independent strategic decision-making, and keeping it within the circle of dependence on Washington, especially with regard to its national security.

Despite the repeated calls made by Russia years ago by its President Vladimir Putin, to establish a common European security structure, through comprehensive proposals to restructure the security system in the continent that take into account the interests of the European continent and Russia, but the leaders of the European Union ignored this call.  

Today, the cost of this European rush to war seems high, as EU countries face stifling economic pressure due to the increasing financial burdens as a result of their commitments to Ukraine, and as social crises worsen at home and the economy falters, voices within the Union are rising warning of this destructive path that is taking Europe towards the abyss. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's remarks sounded the alarm, when he recently spoke openly to local radio about a threatened "bankruptcy." Europe is a result of its excessive involvement in a war that is not its own, warning that continuing this approach may drag the continent towards collapse, without Europe achieving the significant gains it envisages from this unconditional support for Ukraine.

Based on the above, it seems that Europe may get out with zero or limited gains from Ukraine that are not equivalent to what it has provided to it, all as a result of the wrong strategic decisions it has taken, which may have negative consequences for the future of the old continent in light of the geostrategic challenges that are changing rapidly in the international political scene. The question remains, how will the Europeans react to this reality imposed by the Americans in Ukraine? The answer is in the coming days.