Europe's six large states offer no fresh military commitments to Ukraine in July

In July, Europe’s six largest countries offered Ukraine no new bilateral military commitments, according to new data.

"The revelation is a sign that despite historic shifts in European defense policy — which have seen once reluctant countries like France and Germany ship arms to Ukraine — military aid to Ukraine may be waning just as Kyiv launches a crucial counteroffensive," according to a report in The Politico.
"The fresh data, covering the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Poland comes from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, which has been maintaining a Ukraine Support Tracker throughout the war...Germany, in particular, has faced pointed allegationsthat it is moving too slowly to implement much-touted tank swaps with European neighbors, allowing those countries to then send their Soviet-era tanks to Ukraine. Berlin has defended its approach and repeatedly pointed to the regular arms shipments it is authorizing for Ukraine," according to the Politico report.


Meanwhile Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has claimed that the deadly conflict in Ukraine has the potential to “demonstratively” put an end to Western hegemony globally,

In an interview with German online magazine Tichys Einblick, published on Thursday, Orban said he expects the European Union to emerge weaker in the global arena once the fighting in Ukraine is over.

The Hungarian leader claimed that the West is incapable of winning the conflict militarily, and that the sanctions it has imposed on Moscow have failed to destabilize Russia. To make matters worse, the punitive measures have spectacularly backfired on the EU, he said.

Orban also noted that a “large part of the world” is clearly not getting behind the US when it comes to Ukraine. He pointed to “the Chinese, Indians, Brazilians, South Africa, the Arab world, Africa” as regions not supporting the Western line on the conflict.

“It is quite possible that it will be this war that will demonstratively put an end to Western supremacy,” Orban said.

On the other hand, non-EU powers are already benefiting from the situation, he said, pointing toward Russia, which “has its own energy sources.”

While going along with EU sanctions against Russia, Hungary has maintained a neutral stance since the outbreak of the conflict, by not providing either side with weapons or making any harsh statements against Moscow or Kiev.

Budapest has insisted that it cannot not risk the security of Hungarians, and will not be dragged into the conflict.

Moreover, Orban and other Hungarian top officials have repeatedly criticized some of the EU sanctions, claiming that they harm the EU more than they do Russia.

Back in May, Hungary entered into a direct confrontation with the EU leadership over a Russian oil embargo. Budapest lifted its veto only after it carved out an exemption for the fuel imported via pipelines.