By Jack Davis
Published November 27, 2022
If a series of comments from European officials reflect a wider view, a gap may be opening between the Biden administration and its European allies over the way America has conducted itself during the Ukraine war.
The report, which relies extensively on sources that are not named, frames European officials as fuming that America grows stronger while Europe faces a cold winter of privations due to shortages in fuel for heating, while U.S. subsidies for green industries have become a flashpoint of contention.
“The fact is, if you look at it soberly, the country that is most profiting from this war is the U.S. because they are selling more gas and at higher prices, and because they are selling more weapons,” an unnamed “senior official” told Politico.
“We are really at a historic juncture,” the senior EU official said, arguing that the double hit of trade disruption from U.S. subsidies and high energy prices risks turning public opinion against both the war effort and the transatlantic alliance. “America needs to realize that public opinion is shifting in many EU countries.”
One source Politico described as a “senior official from a European capital,” said some Europeans view the necessary replacement of American-made weapons shared with Ukraine taking years and bringing millions to U.S. defense companies.
Another source Politico described as an “EU diplomat” argued that “the money they are making on weapons” could help Americans understand that making “all this cash on gas” might be “a bit too much.”
A discount in gas sold to Europe could help us to “keep united our public opinions,” the diplomat is quoted as saying.
“It’s not good, in terms of optics, to give the impression that your best ally is actually making huge profits out of your troubles,” the diplomat said.
European Union chief diplomat Josep Borrell said the Biden administration should weigh the costs it imposes on allies.
Read more: WesternJournal.com
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