In the eyes of the West, "ungrateful bad children"?, Zelensky Economy | Ukraine | Children

Ukrainian President Zelensky has complained a lot about the setback in joining the NATO summit. But these words obviously make some people dislike listening.

British Defense Secretary Wallace retorted that the UK is not a shopping website "Amazon" and demanded that Ukraine be grateful to the West; US National Security Assistant Sullivan directly joked, "The American people do deserve a certain degree of gratitude.". For a while, Zelensky became a spoiled child in the eyes of the West.

This creates a stark contrast between negative reviews and the past. Due to his heroism during the Ukrainian crisis, Zelensky was once praised by the United States and the West, and even earned the reputation of "Western moral conscience.".

What trends do the sudden reversal of word-of-mouth and the contradiction of openness reflect in the Western world?

"There are no eternal friends, only eternal interests." The famous quote from former British Prime Minister Palmerston is quite appropriate for Ukraine's relationship with the United States and the West.

When interests are aligned, both sides should jointly raise the banner of unity to "defend Europe" and "defend the free world"; When disagreements arose, Zelensky was the first to bear the brunt, becoming a "ungrateful" and "bad kid". However, discerning individuals can see that the fundamental interests of both sides are not completely aligned, and it is inevitable that the current situation will arise due to a seeming separation of spirits.

For the United States, achieving its strategic goal of "isolating Russia and weakening Europe" through a prolonged war is in its interest——

On the one hand, a Russia mired in war and isolated from the world can alleviate the strategic pressure on the United States in Europe, allowing it to intervene in Asia Pacific affairs and contain China. On the other hand, a Europe with slowing economic growth and surging internal conflicts also meets the expectations of the United States.

At present, Europe's strategic focus has been locked in due to the Ukraine crisis, and its strategic autonomous vision is also out of the question. At the same time, a large amount of capital, industry, and talent in Europe have flowed out due to the war, and the United States has also taken the opportunity to export weapons and equipment to Europe to enrich itself.

The quarterly financial report recently released by Lockheed Martin, a US military company, showed that its net sales in the second quarter of this year were $16.7 billion, an increase of 8% year-on-year; The net profit in the second quarter was $1.7 billion, far exceeding the same period last year's $309 million. In addition, the company's share price has also risen by 10.3% since the overall escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, making a lot of money.

In short, the current stalemate precisely aligns with the interests of the United States.

Looking at Ukraine again, relying on NATO assistance to achieve victory on the battlefield as soon as possible and gain strategic advantage is its interest demand.

When the Russia-Ukraine conflict fell into a stalemate and Ukraine's counterattack failed, Zerensky naturally expected more effective support from the United States and Western countries.

However, Western aid is more generous than practical. In this way, Ukraine has to give up its national dignity and look at the faces of the United States and the West to pray for assistance.

Several Ukrainian leaders have said that when it comes to high-level military assistance, they are asked to beg like a beggar, first rejected, and then it will take some time for the other party to agree, and half of the demands will not be accepted. Zelensky even spoke to the United States and the West through the internet, saying, "Ukraine has the right to be respected.".

Looking further, even if Ukraine receives military aid from the United States and the West, it may end up killing one thousand enemies and self harming eight hundred.

For example, the United States has provided over 40 batches of military aid to Ukraine, totaling over 40 billion US dollars. From initially defensive weapons to various main battle tanks and tanks, to offensive weapons such as Hamas rockets, it has now provided Ukraine with cluster ammunition, which has been unanimously condemned by the international community.

According to a recent report by the Slovak think tank GLOBSEC, Ukraine has experienced severe conflicts over 173500 square kilometers, affected by unexploded ordnance, requiring time-consuming, costly, and dangerous ammunition clearance operations. The recent provision of cluster ammunition by Western countries to Ukraine may make the situation worse.

Nowadays, Ukraine's counterattack seems to have become a testing ground for the United States to explore the balance of power in Europe, as well as a testing ground and recycling station for various weapons and equipment.

Compared to political games, the suffering of the Ukrainian people is more real. Let's take a look at a shocking set of data:

The latest data from the United Nations Human Rights Office shows that there have been over 25000 recorded civilian casualties since the outbreak of the conflict, with over 9000 civilians killed, including over 500 children.

According to data released by the Kiev Institute of International Sociology today, 78% of Ukrainians have relatives or friends who have died or been injured in the war.

A study by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees shows that the vast majority of displaced Ukrainians hope to one day return to their homes, but only about one in ten plan to return home in a short period of time.

A study by the European Commission suggests that Ukraine may lose over one-third of its population by 2052, which will undoubtedly have a devastating impact on Ukraine's national economy.

The fact is the most educative, and Ukraine's sense of being deceived is becoming stronger. The French newspaper Le Monde even described an atmosphere prevalent among the top echelons of Ukraine - "the West is forcing us to fight a war they don't want to fight themselves.".

Zelensky's disappointment and the dissatisfaction of the United States and the West are not difficult to understand in their respective positions.

At a stage where unity is urgently needed, publicly disclosing internal conflicts may go against common sense. However, upon closer examination, any decisive victory or failure on the Russian Ukrainian battlefield will threaten the United States' strategy of profiting through stalemate. How could Americans let it become clear?

In the eyes of the United States, Ukraine's land, soldiers, and people are just consumables. The gains and losses of each city and place, as well as every bit of aid, have already been listed and priced early on.

The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Svirychenko, stated that the Ukrainian economy has suffered the most severe losses in the past year since independence in 1991. The direct damage caused by the conflict to Ukraine's infrastructure has exceeded $135 billion, and the cost of reconstruction and recovery has risen to $411 billion, which is 2.6 times the country's gross domestic product in 2022.

While Ukraine's losses continue to increase, the United States continues to profit from it. The British Financial Times said that since the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the international energy market has been shaken, oil prices have risen, and the US oil producers have become the biggest winners, earning more than $200 billion, making it the most profitable six months in the history of the US energy industry.

In addition, the "Ukraine Development Fund" established by US investment giant BlackRock and Ukraine has also quietly changed hands on Ukraine's core assets before the conflict ends. David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs Group in the United States, bluntly stated that in the process of rebuilding Ukraine, economic stimulus will bring significant investment and substantial returns.

When Zelensky tried to speak out from Ukraine's perspective, the United States quickly "struck" and threatened that "the United States has become tired of his actions, and he is also cutting off his own path in Europe.".

As a Ukrainian government official said, Zelensky has become the person responsible for shaking hands. He is everyone's friend, but when it comes to making decisions, Ukraine becomes the one who shouldn't be in the room.

The stalemate on the battlefield is still ongoing, and Ukraine still looks forward to NATO's support and assistance.

Since the conflict between Ukraine and Western countries has been made public, how should Zelensky end up facing public humiliation from countries such as the UK and the US? How should Ukraine be grateful?