European Union

In recent weeks, the war in Ukraine has seen major successes and failures on both sides. Advances have been made for the Ukrainian troops but Russia has found more pressure points to push, creating more economic unrest for the West. This conflict, only expected to last a few weeks, has turned into more than six months of intense battles and humanitarian disasters. Although physically it only affects portions of Ukraine’s population, its indirect consequences have extended much farther than eastern Europe. Russia has positioned itself directly against the entirety of the EU and the UN. These western powers have been heavily involved from the start, several rounds of sanctions have already been put into effect. However, their dogmatic approach to dealing with Russia is about to be tested in the coming winter. The U.S. has given lots of support in this conflict in the form of military aid and money, almost three billion dollars since the beginning of the Biden administration, but the consequences have been felt in the economy. A potential indicator for U.S. markets in the coming season may be Russia’s efforts to limit its oil and gas exports and increase energy costs for Ukraine. These next few months will prove to be critical in the outcome of the war and Russia’s future as a European nation.

In July of this year, the Orbán administration banned LGBTQ content from appearing in school materials or television shows for people under 18. This policy caused a huge uproar in many European Union countries, which see this policy as homophobic. This LGBTQ discriminatory policy does not support the Biden Administration view nor American values of preventing discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

Mr. Putin would casually deny it, but Russia has fashioned the ongoing civil conflict in Eastern Ukraine in a manner that suits the Kremlin’s goals. The opening actions of the rebellion were pulled off without too many snags and managed to seize significant political and economic sites throughout the region, ranging from police stations to major railroad junctions. A growing amount of evidence suggests that these seemingly homegrown insurrections were originally led and coordinated by Russian operatives disguised as locals. Videos and eyewitness accounts show large convoys of vehicles packed with armed, uniformed men (many belonging to the Vostok Battalion, of Chechen War notoriety) streaming into Ukraine from over the Russian border. While this isn’t exactly hard evidence of the Kremlin’s direct involvement, it does speak volumes about what entities are fueling the current strife. Despite these occurrences, Putin does not seem interested in invading and annexing the eastern provinces of Ukraine in the same way that he did Crimea. This article discusses why Moscow does not want to absorb Eastern Ukraine, as well as what Russia’s true intensions are.