‘Nothing Is Impossible In Today's World’

Should we expect decisive steps from Europe?

Friedrich Merz, candidate for Chancellor of Germany from the conservative CDU/CSU bloc, has arrived in Ukraine on a visit.

“Ukraine must win this war, and Russia must lose it,” he said on the eve of the visit.

How will the balance of power change if Germany takes such an active position? Charter97.org asked this and other questions to Oleh Bilokolos, director of the Center for National Resilience Studies in Kyiv and former adviser to the Ukrainian embassy in Canada and Kenya:

— Germany is one of the leading European countries, so such a position from a candidate of one of the main political parties can only be welcomed. I would like other countries to take the same position.

— With Trump's victory, everyone is discussing peace talks, but Europe has not yet said its final word. Are there any more “Churchills” on the old continent? Or are there only “Chamberlains” left?

— So far, all this talk about peace talks is based on some rumors, there are no specifics. There are some leaks to the media, but I don't see any concrete points in these talks. Perhaps, when the Trump administration receives all the levers of power in January, then we will see some specific proposals from Washington that will be presented to Kyiv, then we will be able to talk about something specific.

And the talk about Europe having its own voice has been going on since at least 2014, but so far it is just talk, little supported by any specific actions. As a rule, when all this begins to move into the practical plane, it turns out that there is a lack of capacity somewhere, something is missing somewhere.

Only recently, a decision was made that 300 billion euros, which were intended to equalize the economic opportunities of European countries, will be directed to the development of defense industries and the development of military infrastructure. That is, to put it mildly, a long period passes from statements to their practical implementation on the ground. Something is being done, but very slowly. At least, that is how it appears from Kyiv.

— Recently, talk has resumed about the possible deployment of European troops to Ukraine, Zelensky himself said that he would welcome such a decision. Do you think such a scenario is possible?

— In today's world, nothing is impossible, but so far I do not see any practical consultations behind these statements. Who will finance all this? What will their status be? What weapons will they have? Where will they distance themselves approximately?

I believe that it would be much more practical to discuss the issue of creating some zones in Ukraine protected by NATO air defense systems. There are not enough of them in Ukraine today, as Zelensky constantly talks about. These are more realistic questions, more practical. I would welcome the discussion of them as the first step in this direction.

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