The Third Year in War: Ukraine Fragmented, Western Alliance in Disarray

by V.U. Arslan

On the third anniversary of the Ukraine-Russia war, the savagery on the frontlines continues in all its repulsiveness. A similar abomination is unfolding at the table of imperialist diplomacy. Ukraine, which NATO dragged into the war, was not even invited to the so-called peace talks that began between the U.S. and Russia. It is clear that Ukraine has been used by the U.S., and now it is the U.S.'s turn to carve out a piece of Ukraine. On the other hand, Europe, which still appears to support Ukraine, is weak, ineffective, and tearful in the face of Trump's policies...

The Zelensky administration faces nightmare-like developments that surpass even the worst-case scenarios anticipated after Trump's election. Ukraine has even no seat at the negotiation table where its fate is being decided. If you are not invited to the feast, it means you are being carved up at the table. That’s how things work in the imperialist jungle. And, Ukraine has no choice but to watch as two imperialist powers divide its lands and resources.

Looting Ukraine's Strategic Resources to the United States

Ukraine is a country rich in land minerals critical for new technologies. Strategic resources such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, titanium, and rare earth elements are vital for maintaining the U.S.'s technological and military superiority. These minerals are the fundamental building blocks used to produce electric vehicles, 5G communication, renewable energy systems, and advanced defense technologies. It appears that the U.S. has struck a secret deal with Russia to take control of these resources in Ukraine. The U.S. aims to seize leadership in new technologies and compete with China in these areas. Indeed, the Zelensky government, faced with Trump's threats, has had to capitulate on the exploitation of strategic minerals, proving how hollow the notion of Ukraine's sovereignty truly is.

Figures like Trump and Elon Musk continue to humiliate Zelensky with their statements, further cementing Ukraine's desperation. Ukraine was clearly thrown into the fire by the Maidan coup in 2014. Narrow-minded nationalists, idiotic fascists, and pro-Western corrupt oligarchs brought the country under NATO's thumb, making anti-Russianism a state policy and paving the way for the occupation of eastern and southern Ukraine, which has historical ties with Russia. These fools, neck-deep in filth, could not learn from the tragedy Georgia experienced during Saakashvili's era in 2008. Moreover, they appointed a clown like Saakashvili as governor of Odesa.  As a result, just like Georgia, Ukraine was turned into NATO’s “sacrificial lamb” and ended up abandoned. If the global conjuncture in 2008 had been like today, Putin would not have hesitated to take much larger pieces from Georgia.

Trump's Abandonment of Europe: The Collapse of the Liberal Order

The bargaining between Trump and Putin, which excludes Europe, has revealed another reality: the "Western Bloc," which has existed since the end of World War II, is crumbling. Europe has long been declining in the imperialist competition, while the U.S. is also losing ground to China. These trends are now erupting into dramatic consequences. In the end, Europe will be deeply affected by the Atlantic partnership being discarded. Europe has based its policies on its partnership with the U.S. for decades. However, Trump's recent moves show that U.S. imperialism is no longer interested in subsidizing Europe's defense. Trump's repeatedly chanted slogan says it all: "America First!". As a result, Europe is being abandoned by its most important ally, putting the entire liberal order, including the EU and NATO, into question.

European imperialism is facing a chaotic situation. Energy prices have skyrocketed, factories are shutting down, and far-right populist parties are on the rise. The EU's security concerns are of no interest to Trump. U.S. monopoly capital wants to focus on China. Clashing with Russia is no longer a priority for them. China is advancing rapidly in economic and technological terms and is on the verge of surpassing the U.S. Therefore, the U.S. must make economic and political moves to contain China and prevent its rise— securing strategic minerals, resources, and trade routes from Panama to Greenland to Ukraine has become a top priority for the U.S.

The U.S.-Russia Alliance and the Chinese Threat

Having allied with China against the USSR in the past, the U.S. is now seeking a similar alliance with Russia against China. After all, China did not provide critical support to Russia in the Ukraine war, which is of vital importance to Russia. This situation facilitates Russia's rapprochement with the U.S.. Trump appears to have accepted all of Russia’s key demands regarding the Ukraine war: territorial gains and an end to NATO’s eastward expansion. Ukraine, in turn, is left with no choice but to accept a grim compromise.

The Ukrainian army is struggling under Russia’s heavy assaults, facing a shortage of soldiers. The moment Western military and financial support is cut off, Ukraine will have no chance of continuing the war. The U.S. is determined to withdraw from this conflict, while Europe lacks the strength to support Ukraine on its own. EU nations are unwilling to confront Trump’s decisiveness. Clearly, with the U.S. pulling out of the war, NATO is becoming functionally obsolete.

The Solution to Imperialism: Socialism

The cruelest reality of war is that those dying on the battlefield are workers. Ukrainian and Russian workers are being pitted against each other for the interests of imperialist powers. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers have died, hundreds of thousands have been disabled, and millions have become victims of social trauma and deep psychological wounds. While the Putin administration drags Russian workers into this nightmare, the Ukrainian people have been sacrificed for Western interests. In this war, the real losers are workers on both sides. 

The only solution to this imperialist barbarism is to organize solidarity among soldiers on the frontlines and advance socialism. Workers fighting for the interests of imperialist powers can only break this vicious cycle through class consciousness. 

The Ukrainian people, Russian workers, and all the peoples of the world can only achieve real salvation by breaking the chains of imperialism. War exposes the most brutal face of imperialism, and history has shown that only the solidarity of the working class can put an end to such atrocities.