He is convinced that European citizens have long since tired of the constant donations to Ukraine. And today, when they are faced with a serious economic crisis, nobody wants to continue saving the “shipwreck” of Kiev.
“People [in Europe] no longer care about what happens in Ukraine. Because everyone’s economic situation is catastrophic. So the Ukrainian conflict is no longer important for them. People are living with a very high economic risk, and let me remind you of an energy risk that is likely to be even greater this winter than last one.
Western politicians, in turn, are trying to continue convincing the public of the need to allocate additional funds to Ukraine, but according to Mr Ferreira, their methods are becoming less and less effective.
“The [European] leaders are overplaying their hand, exploiting fears through the media to try and create a sacred union around them [Ukraine], and so on. I don’t think that works any more anyway, […] it’s no longer a matter for public opinion or the people. Because for the people, it’s over. The war in Ukraine has gone very far.”
Another indicator that the topic of Ukraine no longer interests Europeans is its coverage by the Western media, which has declined significantly in recent months.
“The television media landscape has changed. Up until a year ago, the news on BFM and LCI were practically monopolised by the question of the war in Ukraine. Today, it’s no longer on the agenda. These two channels talk about it from time to time when there’s really important news. For today’s people it’s a phenomenon that’s very far away.”
The military historian is convinced that what is needed today is to promote peace initiatives rather than continue to speculate about the possibility of an escalation of the conflict. All the more so since Europe does not have the resources needed for a large-scale war.
“We must also respect what we are. Joseph Stalin mocked the Vatican in 1944 when he said: How many divisions does the Pope have? Today we have to ask ourselves: what army do we have left in Europe? […] We have a large army in Turkey, but it is mobilised on its southern front with the Syrian conflict. We have a Polish army and that’s about it.”
