Alexander Motyl, professor of political science at Rutgers University, discusses in his column the Norwegian Foreign Ministry's statement about insufficient support for Ukraine.
"The logical thought is this: if you believe, as Eide (Norwegian foreign minister - ed.) and most NATO countries claim, that Putin's Russia is an existential threat to Europe, then you will do everything you can to counter that threat by helping Ukraine win," the professor writes.
He notes that the delay and lack of support a pieces of evidence that NATO countries do not fulfill their promises. In his opinion, the position of the prime ministers of Hungary and Slovakia, as well as Donald Trump, is more honest in this matter.
The professor notes that only the Baltic states are aware of the threat. He also writes that President Macron has recently had an "enlightenment" and has begun to support Putin's staunchest critics, although this may only be a rhetorical move.
Motyl believes that the West's inability to believe that Putin is the new Hitler is a hope that it is just a "bad dream". He emphasizes that, unfortunately, if Putin continues on his path, "this dream may come true."
The West lacks new leaders like Winston Churchill or Franklin Roosevelt, capable of mobilizing society and decisively repelling the Russian threat, the professor writes.
He rules out the possibility that such leaders could be Joe Biden or Donald Trump. He says, "Unfortunately, President Joe Biden has failed to lead the world against Putin. Donald Trump has demonstrated that he cannot be a leader, period. This may leave the fate of Ukraine and the West in the hands of Mr. Macron. Can he rise to the challenge and become Charles de Gaulle?"
