High-level European officials are furious with the Biden administration and are now accusing the US of profiting from the war in Ukraine while Europe is facing a potential energy crisis.
In comments to POLITICO, a senior EU official said, “The fact is, if you look at it soberly, the country that is most profiting from this war is the US because they are selling more gas and at higher prices, and because they are selling more weapons.”
The US-led sanctions campaign on Russia has backfired on Europe as it has ratcheted up energy prices to the point where Europeans may face blackouts this winter. On top of the energy situation, European leaders also fear they will lose out on investments due to unprecedented subsidies included in the US’s Inflation Reduction Act, which President Biden signed into law in August.
The Inflation Reduction Act includes $369 billion in subsidies and tax breaks for green businesses, incentivizing companies to invest in the US instead of Europe. European leaders have publicly criticized the US for the legislation and are considering subsidies of their own, signaling the beginning of a new trade war.
The senior EU official told POLITICO that the double whammy of high energy prices and loss of trade to subsidies could turn public opinion against supporting Ukraine. “We are really at a historic juncture,” the official said. “America needs to realize that public opinion is shifting in many EU countries.”
The POLITICO report said that the Inflation Reduction Act brought Brussels into “full-blown panic mode” and is causing European officials to question if the US is really an ally. “The Inflation Reduction Act has changed everything. Is Washington still our ally or not?” an EU diplomat said.
The EU is also unhappy that it’s purchasing American gas for four times the cost of what it’s sold for in the US, although the difference in price could be explained by transportation costs and the fact that it’s resold by European companies.
While the US government doesn’t control the price of gas being sold to Europe, the Biden administration did pressure Europe to wean itself off much cheaper Russian energy, which in turn benefited American gas companies.
Despite leading the sanctions campaign against Russia, the US takes no responsibility for the high energy prices even though President Biden has admitted the policy would hurt both Americans and Europeans. “The rise in gas prices in Europe is caused by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and Putin’s energy war against Europe, period,” a National Security Council spokesperson said.
The biggest beneficiary of Biden’s Ukraine policy is the weapons industry, as the US and its allies have shipped tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons into the country. The policy, being led by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, a former Raytheon board member, has depleted Western military stockpiles, leading to a major uptick in orders for US and other Western military equipment.
“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.
It looks bad, because it is bad, because the US engineered those troubles for Europe Russia and Ukraine in order to profit off their suffering. Finally the EU is getting a clue.
The EU will do nothing to up set the Americans the same goes for Britain / Europe is still occupied by the US remember , Britain has 18 US Bases past off as British Bases , you won`t hear a British Politician say that.
US many years was a good trade partner of EU, but not ally. All this rhetoric about American military protection from Russia is false. Since 1926 there were no danger to Europe from Russia or from USSR. On the contrary, the working class of EU benefitted a lot from Soviet communist ideology. It scared the capitalists and made them to share a part of their profits with the working people. When Stalin got to the power, one of the first things he has done, was the denouncement of World Revolution. The peaceful coexistence between The West and USSR (and later Russia) was profitable for everyone, including the businessmen. It motivated The West to develop a good welfare system and made The West attractive to the countries of all continents. Unfortunately, MIC oligarchs and the warmongers got the upper hand in US.
What a clueless comment.
The soviet communist party was nothing but a blight of violence and death on every country it touched. To think that these conditions caused welfare schemes in europe is beyond asinine. No, welfarism was accepted in europe grass roots.
It seems someone here is “anti war” in the sense that they’re anti “wars the liberal west is involved in”. The soviets were bloodier than the americans. I don’t excuse america, by any means. NATO has got to go. But to think NATO is bad because the soviets were good is to deny the most basic history of europe and russia.
You are too brainwashed.
“The biggest beneficiary of Biden’s Ukraine policy is the weapons industry.” Absolutely. The US is executing a u-turn from manufacturing consumer goods to one-use military goods. So utterly opportunistic. So devastating in so many respects. The slimy network of policy writers & congress beholden to lobbyists and arms manufacturers is incorrigible and dug in. WWI all over again. (Worse of course, much worse.)
And it is good for our GDP.
Ah, remember the good ol’ days in the 40s? when US GDP was at an enormous peak, and everyone was talking about prosperity while at the same time food at the supermarkets was being rationed? See, the GDP is a great measure of the economic quality of life, because my econ professor told me so.
Of course, US are profiting from the proxy war between NATO and Russia and from the economic war between EU and Russia. Particular American MIC is profiting. US economy also is profiting a lot. Big European business is moving massively from Europe to US. If European politicians will do nothing to stop the process of the deindustrialization of EU, in few years, the living standards of EU citizens and citizens of such countries as Vietnam are going to be the same.
France and Germany have been outspoken about being overcharged (price gouging) for LPG. Their economies are collapsing because of both the energy sanctions, and Federal Reserve policy.
Germany, in particular, is waking up to the fact that its manufacturing base is under siege. Energy intensive manufacturers are shifting production to other countries (and they may never come back).
The Europeans including the ones in countries not in the EU should protest outside of US Embassies, Consulates and Military Bases to end the war in Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia.
In the US, there should be protests outside of the White House.
US profiteering is limited though. Yes some industries do well but the economy as a whole is debatable. And ultimately investing in weapons brings little return for a nation unless it is conquering and pillaging. It doesn’t have the long term effect that investing in infrastructure, education or industries geared for the future does.
The leftist cries out in pain as he strikes you. The leftists are the ones who attack Russia with sanctions, to aid the Biden-paid Kiev regime’s invasion of Donbass as a way to hurt Russia. Russia must be destroyed as it’s conservative, banning pedophile propaganda to children, and aids the pro-Palestinian Syria and Iran. This can’t be allowed. THEN they claim that it’s Russia’s fault that the sanctions hurt the West. Such amazing chutzpah.
It’s nothing new – it’s just like their talk for seven years about “Russia invading Crimea” without mentioning that Russian Crimea broke free after a Biden-financed coup in Kiev. $5 billion dollars, Victoria Nuland bragged. But they ignore their attack on the Russian population, and only show the Russian population’s response.
Your description is good. Only I wouldn’t call American oligarchs “leftist”. Kiev far-right regime which they are supporting, also by no standards is leftist.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f8a2ea611066a656673e65fad3dbb3df1e94e181b27a3cbe5ac09ed3a12c9d5c.jpg
The “GO USA” sign was to hide the fact that he wet himself. But he did spell those words correctly.
i love this sign. You can tell he was so proud when asked to hold it up for the photo.
He misspelled morons. Moron means idiot and Moran is a last name.
Forget the “European Officials.” What bothers me is the European masses not waking up to very basic common sense. The average US population’s living standards are in terrible shape as well and are not “profiting.” The level of stupidity in the west is staggering. If you ask them who’s to blame, they’ll probably blame Russia, China, or Russia and China. They have no clue and no common sense.
“The rise in gas prices in Europe is caused by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and Putin’s energy war against Europe, period,” a National Security Council spokesperson said.
Over and over and over and it becomes true. As long as their history books open to Feb 24th, 2022. You know how it was Saddam’s fault that we had to kill his people to save his people. The big P.
And miracle, oh miracle, our GDP growth which was negative for the first two quarters of this year has rebounded to a 1.6% increase for quarter three. And that has nothing to do with the Russo-Ukrainian war? If you believe that I have a bridge for sale here in Houston.
Can I have some details on the bridge?…. Just kidding.
“Furious With Biden, Europe Says US Is Profiting Off Ukraine War Officials are unhappy with the Inflation Reduction Act and its subsidies that could drive investment out of Europe”
Throwing Europe under the bus for short term economic gains. Yep that’s the Joey Biden criminal government!
https://slguardian.org/from-g7-to-g20-hollow-talk-show/
Alastair Crooke. From G7 to G20 Hollow Talk Show.
Well, duh.
We profit from a war? No sh*t! Perhaps we should circulate throughout Europe Major General Smedley Butler’s book, War is a Racket, then, they might be on their way to getting a clue
Nobody reads anymore so unless you make into a YouTube video nobody will see it.
A fatalist? 🙂
How dare they say this about their boss…?!
Well duh! Farm prices are up, energy prices are up, weapons sales are up..
Up, Up and away!…………………………….
The lady doth protest too much, methinks … I mean, come on, what the hell did these Europeans think this whole thing was about?
From the railroad corporations of the 1860s on to the mining and fruit interests of the 1900s to oil and MIC, the “business of America is business” and always has been.
You are right. It is a trade competition between the countries. Not particular honest, of course. Otherwise, it is a business as usual.
https://www.rt.com/news/567328-poland-american-cemetery-ukraine/
Poland sustains a high Ukraine death count. Looking to “construct” American -style cemeteries.
The MIC to be precise. And the bankers.
Shortly before WW1, the US was the world’s greatest debtor nation, debt that paid for the railroads and the new heavy industry like steel.
Four years later, the US was the world’s greatest creditor nation, leading to twenty years of hard feelings about what they all called “war debts.”
The US then profited even more by lending the money to the Weimar Republic to pay off the reparations, money which funneled back to the US to pay off those war debts of Britain and France.
The US did nothing to instigate WW1, and opposed the reparations schemes, But it did learn the path of profit off Europe’s wars.
It then did it again in WW2, with “cash and carry” rules for war supplies until Britain was totally bankrupt, and only then inventing Lend Lease.
So now the US is doing it again? 100 years of European leaders have lived with this pattern.
Perhaps, just maybe, some countries in the E.U. will come to realize that the U.S. is not your friend, and if push comes to shove, doesn’t have your back, and their actions are primarily to benefit the U.S at your expense. This may be the event that pushes several European countries away from the U.S. and at the least will most likely facilitate a breakup of the E.U.
Not much of an optimist are you?! I see your points though, clearly.
Of course they are! Rah rah Raytheon!
JHC the EU POLITICAL ELITE arn`t exactly the sharpest tools in the box are they lol , why the hell do they think the Americans are telling Z to continue fighting the Russians ? . it`s not because they feel anything for the people of Ukraine it`s the big profits , just as they did in WW2 .
Yes, and as the kiddies say “dah”; though a tad disingenuous as they fully expected to fleece their own populations as well before the jig was up. Anyway, let’s hope this is the end.
Well, the JOKE is on Europe. SUUUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKKKERSSSSSS!
With politicians and “leaders” as corrupt as Europe? What could go wrong?
Let us all wait for this winter to see how much the people of Europe suffer as a result of this madness, brought to them by the USA and their own leaders.
Remember, Europe: It was YOUR leaders who decided to tow the line and go to (a proxy) war with Russia. It is the nature of USA to kill and destroy. That is why it spends almost one trillion dollars on its military. It does not see friends. It has NO friends. It is like a monster ran amuck. Allies are NOT friendly nations to US. They are just suckers to the US that WILL be used to ITS own advantage.
So, stop your whining, Europeans! and suck on it.
Congratulations!!!!! It is YOUR WAR! Enjoy!
Funny thing that – this supposed EU frustration is not reflected in any mainstream EU press – it is an opinion you might find in the extreme rightwing circles like AFD and in the far left (where just recently a politician in Germany was shouted at angrily from the crowd for saying that we were to blame for the war in Ukraine – and that at her own party’s party rally).
Most of the EU nations have by now come to see that they do not have a viable alternative to standing up to Putin – so if the joke is on Europe then it is because we thought we could treat Russia as a reliable trading partner and not just an enemy.
The joke is on Europe and Europeans precisely because they have allowed their institutions to be so utterly corrupted by the USUK that they have no idea what’s going on. Thus, “Putin bad man” is the boob’s only answer to what’s happening to him and his. It’s Brave New World Inc in charge and no mistake.
Nicely said!!!
The joke is only on Europe because we have made ourselves vulnerable to Russian blackmail – I can guarantee you that the vast majority of the electorates in Europe have no problem identifying that the dictator that has led Russia from 2000 to 2022 is the evil that is harder to be free of.
I.e. we’ll prefer US/UK hegemony any day over Putin.
Bloody good rant! Some good points too.
The Russian MOD is disarming NATO (Ukraine was disarmed in March), tank by tank, artillery by artillery, air defense by air defense. What they loose in the Ukraine, they loose for the final NATO global war.
Russia is inflicting a 10:1 kill ratio. And NATO overall has accumulated the following equipment losses;
333 Aircraft, 177 helicopters, 2572 UAV’s, 390 Anti Aircraft systems, 6866 tanks inc. APC’s, 904 multiple rocket launchers, 3624 rocket launchers and 7395 military automotive equipment.
You have to wonder. Dont those European so called leaders think before acting? They were not buying LNG before because Russian energy was cheaper. Germany built the NS 2 to buy Russian gas which led to US sanctions. The US was pressuring Europe to buy more expensive LNG.
So what did the people who are now whining, expect from banning Russian energy?
Europe Says US Is Profiting Off Ukraine War – but, but, that is impossible, that can not be!
The US taxpayer is not profitung from the Ukraine war.