According to a survey conducted by the citizens' collective *Démocratie Participative*, a large majority of participants expect our leaders to invest in resolving the war in Ukraine through political means.
Only 4% of respondents want to support Ukraine’s war effort. Furthermore, 92% do not want taxpayers' money sent to Ukraine, and 94% believe that our leaders are not doing enough to resolve the conflict peacefully.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin made Russia's red line crystal clear last week: using long-range missiles to strike within Russia, especially with the assistance of NATO instructors or U.S. satellite information, would be considered direct Western involvement in the Ukraine-Russia war and could lead to retaliation. Long-range Storm Shadow or Taurus missiles cannot be deployed without Western assistance in programming them.
Unfortunately, there is a total disconnect between the will of the people and the political establishment. On September 19th, in a resolution, MEPs called for EU countries to lift the current restrictions preventing Ukraine from using Western weapons systems against legitimate military targets in Russia. The resolution, which passed with 425 votes in favor, 131 against, and 63 abstentions, states that:
- Ukraine must be able to fully defend itself.
- The European Parliament deplores the declining volume of bilateral military aid to Ukraine from EU countries.
- MEPs demand tougher EU sanctions against Russia and its allies.
- Accountability for war crimes and Russian reparations are essential to any peaceful resolution.
Read the press release and find the full resolution here.
A peaceful solution had been on the table numerous times, only to be rejected—not by Russia, but by the West. The Minsk I and II agreements were used by the West to build up the Ukrainian army with the objective of pushing Russia out of Crimea. When Zelensky was on the verge of signing the Istanbul accords, Boris Johnson flew to Kyiv and convinced him of total Western support and a certain victory for Ukraine. Since then, more than half a million Ukrainians have died, and the country lies in ruins.
Today, war hawk Ursula von der Leyen visited Kyiv, offering words of support and another injection of financial aid to Volodymyr Zelensky, the now illegitimate leader of Ukraine.