On November 16, speaking on the A Haber TV channel, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan issued a warning, saying that economic sanctions against Russia are causing serious negative financial and political consequences for Europe itself.
Mr. Fidan analyzed that Europe is not an active participants in the conflict because they do not have soldiers on the ground. However, the bloc is still involved by providing continuous financial and military support to the Kiev government, and therefore, they have to bear the costs.
Mr. Fidan pointed out: "The fact that they impose barriers on Russia, refuse to buy their fuel, and do not trade with them makes them pay, both financially and politically."
Another major financial burden Mr. Fidan pointed out is that Europe is increasing its strong investment in its own military power due to the impact of the Ukrainian conflict. "I am talking about a total cost of up to 1,000 billion euros," Fidan said. He questioned where European countries would get the money and how their budgets would be affected.
The Turkish diplomat warned that huge military spending will directly affect people's lives. This source of money will be cut from education, transportation, energy, healthcare and other basic services. The inevitable consequences are that living expenses will increase.
The above assessment was made in the context of major European economies, such as Germany, struggling with tight budget plans, even having to reconsider the military service model to save costs.
Regarding the political value, Foreign Minister Fidan pointed out an worrying trend: "Since the conflict began, we have seen governments collapse or continuously reform in European capitals."
He explained that people are starting to question why they should be interested in the conflict in Ukraine. "They are looking at their own economy, they are looking at their own wallets. And so Europeans are starting to feel uncomfortable, Fidan concluded.
Mr. Fidan's comments about the dissatisfaction of the European public seem to match the results of a large survey by Ipsos released on November 14.
The survey shows that nearly half (45%) of people in the EU, UK and US countries surveyed are dissatisfied, feeling "ignored" by the government and worrying about the future getting worse. This dissatisfaction, combined with rising living costs, is creating huge political pressure on current leaders in Europe.
