WSJ: Ukraine’s big backers in Europe try to counter Ukraine war fatigue

European voters are increasingly backing populist parties opposed to supporting Ukraine as fatigue grows with the war, forcing leaders to come up with a new pitch: We are pushing for peace.

In recent weeks, leaders in Europe’s biggest countries have been renewing calls for a diplomatic solution to the war. The reason isn’t a new belief that Moscow is open to talks, according to European officials. Instead, the new language aims to counter a popular argument that presents financial and military aid to Kyiv as both ruinous and dangerous, The Wall Street Journal notes.

European officials are stepping up their contacts with Moscow. Last week, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in New York, the first meeting between the countries’ foreign ministers since 2022. This summer, a senior European Union official spoke with Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s foreign-policy adviser Yuri Ushakov. French President Emmanuel Macron sent his national-security adviser to Moscow early this year.

Even in Britain, where backing for Ukraine remains accepted across the political spectrum, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has shifted the tone, stressing last week that “unlike Russia, we do not seek confrontation.”

The rhetorical shift comes as polls show several populist parties with big leads in national polls. In France, polls show Marine Le Pen is most likely to win a presidential runoff next year. Her party opposed this year’s 90 billion euro, or roughly $101 billion, EU loan to Ukraine and senior officials have said Paris would cut off future nonmilitary aid to Ukraine.

In Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, scored historical wins in two state elections in the former East Germany last month. It has criticized Berlin for sending billions to Ukraine just as it is cutting welfare benefits and raising taxes at home. The party wants to lift sanctions on Russia, resume buying energy from Moscow and strip Ukrainian refugees of their status.

With the Trump administration having cut off most direct aid to Ukraine, Europe is now largely alone in shouldering the mounting cost of arming Ukraine and keeping its economy afloat. These costs have grown as Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine’s cities and infrastructure.

Meanwhile, populist parties are seizing on voters’ fatigue after five years of war. Incumbent governments, they argue, are perpetuating the conflict even while the White House is pressing for talks. Le Pen has called for a major peace conference to end the war.

In Germany, which is in the midst of a brutal industrial recession, the AfD’s antiwar message is proving potent with frustrated voters. Some 42% of Germans think Berlin is sending too many weapons to Ukraine, the highest level recorded since the start of the war, according to a poll by the ARD public broadcasters last month.

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