Ukraine will be unable to pay salaries and pensions for millions of civilians without foreign aid.

 

An Ukrainian teacher instructs a classroom about mine safety. VOA/AFP.

Ukraine will be unable to pay salaries and pensions for millions of civilians without foreign aid. Reuters. Ukraine has spent almost their entire budget on fighting the war with Russia and has relied on western aid to pay for basic services. However, Ukraine has largely been cut off from aid from Europe and the United States. A deputy Prime Minster for Ukraine said that without the aid the salaries of 500,000 civil servants and 1 million teachers would not be able to be paid. Even worse, the pensions for 10 million people could see delays. 

My Comment:

I think that a lot of Americans did not understand where much of money was going to in Ukraine. I get the impression people thought that we were only propping up their military but the truth was a lot worse. We were propping up their entire country, to the point where we were paying for the salaries and pensions for millions of people. 

I think if more people knew about this they would be less likely to support the war. After all, we don't do anywhere near enough for our people here in the United States of America. People are always complaining that teachers here don't get paid enough, but we can pay for Ukraine's teachers? Let alone our seniors. How many of our retired people are just barely making it right now?

It is very likely that Ukraine will not get this money for their government. Indeed, it seems that Washington is done with Ukraine and I would not be surprised if no deal is made. The Republicans and Democrats both know that the gig is up and don't want to send good money after bad. Indeed, I have said for awhile that the whole point in bundling Ukraine aid with Israel aid and Border security is so that all sides have an excuse to not do anything. 

Europe is even more dysfunctional and European governments are becoming a lot more Ukraine-skeptical. I am far from an expert on the EU but I also don't expect to see a major EU funding bid. If for no other reason, I can't see Europe sending a bunch of money if the United States isn't going to. 

This is going to be a huge problem for Ukraine and probably means that basic services are not going to be fulfilled. Teachers will not teach, government officials will not work and nobody will get much done. With basic services faltering people will flee the country and Ukraine's economy will collapse. 

It's even worse for Ukraine's pensioners. Unlike the civil servants and teachers, many pensioners are too old and infirm to flee the country. They won't have any support at all unless their families can help out. And many of them probably won't have that option, given how many people have fled the war or have gotten killed in the fighting. 

If a solution is not found, I can't imagine that Ukraine will be able to hang on. They are already running out of troops and weapons and can't take another shock to the system. Why would people risk their lives in a war they know is lost for a government that can't even keep pensioners fed? I honestly think that the war will end pretty soon, the government will not last long if they are cut off from funds.