Expert: Europe has no strength to compete with the United States for Ukrainian resources

The European Union has driven itself into a corner by pursuing a strict value-related policy – as noted by political expert Piotr Petrovsky in his talk with Alfa Radio

Changes in Ukraine’s ownership structure

According to the expert, by providing military assistance after the start of the special military operation, Americans and Europeans have been gradually changing the ownership structure in Ukraine. “They do not need local oligarchs, a kind of feudal lords. Their goal was to bring Ukrainian lands and enterprises under the control of Western companies, and they did not even keep that secret. As a result, we see that Ihor Kolomoyskyy is in prison, Dmytro Firtas is under pressure, and Rinat Akhmetov has been almost eliminated. Sanctions were imposed on Petro Poroshenko. If we look at all the major Ukrainian oligarchs, we can see that their positions are weakened or destroyed. The explanation is simple: control over property means control over the state.

Trump and struggle for Ukraine's resources

As the expert noted, Donald Trump decided that the process had been developing for long, and that Europeans should not participate in a deal. “Based on his logic, why should Europe get access to Ukrainian metals and resources if Americans can use them? For Trump, the European Union is a competitor. Josep Borrell, for example, named three key factors that ensure Europe’s economic development: the American ‘security umbrella’, cheap Russian energy resources, and the access to Chinese labour,” Mr. Petrovsky explained. 

American strategy of weakening Europe

The expert added that Americans are trying to make the most of the crisis in order to weaken the European industry, “The United States demands that Europe pay for security if it wants to maintain America's military presence. The access to Russian gas and oil is being blocked, and its restoration is possible only if the pipelines become the US property. Americans will then be able to dictate tariffs and prices, making the main profit. 

EU backed itself into corner

As for China, the European Union has driven itself into a corner by pursuing a strict value-related policy. Mr. Petrovsky explained, “As a result, the EU has no partners left: co-operation with Russia has been severed, interaction with China has been complicated, and relations with the United States are also imperfect. European elites want to increase military budgets, create parallel NATO structures and fight on several fronts – doing that at the expense of ordinary European taxpayers who are likely to face cuts in social programmes. It is yet unknown what consequences will such steps entail. 

EU vs US in fight for Ukrainian resources

Answering the question whether European countries will compete with the United States for Ukraine's mineral resources, the expert noted, “There is a nuance. Does the EU have the resources to implement these plans? Many people talk about the European contingent, but, in my opinion, Europeans simply lack resources to form it and gain access to the mineral deposits.”

“Back in 2019, a significant part of the Bundeswehr tanks simply did not start up during exercises. When those tanks were sent to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the latter complained that the military hardware arrived broken down and would not start. Therefore, there will be a struggle for resources, but I think Europeans will not be able to grab something serious. It has already been explained to Poland that its troops should not interfere with Americans in achieving their goals. That is why both Donald Tusk and Andrzej Duda declare that there will be no Polish troops on the territory of Ukraine,” Mr. Petrovsky added.