Europe accuses US of exploiting Ukraine conflict for its own benefit

Politico points out that it has long been a favorite distraction tactic of Europe's political elite to "point the finger across the Atlantic" when things on the continent start to look "risky." Whether it's the conflict in Ukraine, natural disasters or the decline of French as a lingua franca, the culprit has always been the United States.

US President Joe Biden. Photo: AP

“In the latest installment of this tedious media blitz, European officials try to blame the greedy Americans for the current state of the continent’s recession, accusing them of putting the mighty dollar above all else, degenerating so much that they even took advantage of the war in Ukraine,” the publication writes.

However, the publication draws attention to the fact that the US exports less than 10% of the natural gas it possesses. It notes that although Europeans are “annoyed” by higher gas prices than in the US, “no one is telling them to become dependent” on Russian gas or to close their nuclear power plants. The publication continues that the accusation of arms speculation is “no less groundless” because most of the equipment is given to Ukraine by the US for free.

The publication also points out that European defense contractors have not benefited as much as their American counterparts from the replacement of stockpiles with new weapons, or from increased demand for weapons from NATO allies. But the main reason is because Europe has “underinvested” in its defense industry./.