The Brief – Lord, protect me from my friends

“Lord, protect me from my friends; I can take care of my enemies” is a quote attributed to many, specifically to Voltaire. In recent times, the tensions between Joe Biden and his main Western allies over the two conflicts burning at the gates of Europe have never been so visible.

Biden is facing decisive elections in November. Some say he will lose unless he stops the Gaza war. According to a Gallup poll, a majority of Americans disapprove of Israel’s actions in Gaza and even Donald Trump has publicly urged Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu to “finish up” the Gaza operation.

But if the Gaza war stops, Netanyahu will very likely go to jail. The long-serving prime minister of Israel is charged with fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes in three separate scandals involving powerful media moguls and wealthy associates. He denies wrongdoing.

Critics say Netanyahu is driven to weaken the courts and change the judicial system as a way to create an escape route from his trial – claims he dismisses as untrue. Critics also say he is trying to prolong the Gaza war to stay in power and avoid facing justice.

There are many reasons why Biden should be furious at Netanyahu. The US president had repeatedly warned the Israeli prime minister against invading Rafah, but Israel ignored that and launched a deadly assault on the southern Gaza city last month.

Israel also continues to impose a suffocating siege on Gaza, despite US demands that more humanitarian assistance be allowed into the territory. Washington also favours a two-state solution to the broader conflict, while Netanyahu vehemently opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Biden presented last week a three-phase truce proposal that he introduced as an Israeli plan, although Israel is frowning at it, describing it as flawed and needing much more work.

As Al Jazeera titled, “With prolonged Gaza war, Netanyahu may outlast Biden,” and the bottom line is that Netanyahu would prefer dealing with Trump in the White House.

Conversely, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has no interest whatsoever in dealing with Trump. This is why it is strange that he has lately been treating Biden with a certain degree of insolence.

Zelenskyy’s frustration with Biden was laid bare this week when the Ukrainian president rebuked his US counterpart in unusually blunt terms, saying Biden’s plan to attend a Democratic fundraiser rather than Ukraine’s peace summit in Switzerland on 15-16 June was “a standing ovation for Putin” and “not a strong decision”.

Zelenskyy has also criticised Biden for not doing enough to allow US weapons to be fired into Russia.

One Zelenskyy-appointed senior government official, who spoke to the Financial Times about the US-Ukraine relations, said: “We are farther apart than ever since the war started. It is very, very tense.”

Reportedly, Ukrainian drone attacks on two radar systems that form part of Moscow’s nuclear warning system over the past week have been a particular point of conflict with Washington, whose officials are worried that it may provoke Moscow and further escalate the war.

Ukraine has used its own drones and missiles to carry out these strikes, but they came as officials in Kyiv have made urgent appeals to the US for permission to fire powerful American-made weapons into Russia.

The strikes prompted US officials to convey their concerns to Ukraine, according to the New York Times.

The US maintains its own contacts with Moscow and has presumably (and hopefully) agreed on red lines and rules of engagement. Washington certainly has no interest in being dragged into World War III because of one of its allies misbehaving.

Several members of Zelenskyy’s government said they are starting to worry about the methods employed by their president to communicate with the US. The FT quoted one as saying Zelenskyy was “very irritated” with Biden and adding they were concerned about “openly provoking” the White House.

“What do you say in America?” another Ukrainian government official reportedly said. “Do not bite the hand that feeds you.”

The Roundup

The European Union has filed a compliance request with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regarding Colombian tariffs on imports of Belgian, German, and Dutch frozen fries that the European Commission has deemed discriminatory.

The World Health Assembly reached what it describes as an ‘historic’ agreement on revisions to the International Health Regulations, but a Pandemic Agreement proved out of reach.

The European campaign in Spain has been driven by sensitive national issues: Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s ruling Socialists warn of the dangerous rise of the Spanish far-right, while opposition Partido Popular attacks what it calls the Socialists’ “surrender” to the Catalan separatists.

Former ECB chief Mario Draghi has been mentioned as a possible candidate for one of the EU’s top jobs after June’s elections, and while the Commission presidency appears reserved for the centre-right EPP a window of opportunity could open up at the European Council.

In a push to counter an expected drop in seats in the new European Parliament, the Greens are banking on extending their demographic and geographical base, their lead candidate Terry Reintke told Euractiv.

Look out for…

• Commission Vice President Vĕra Jourová meets with Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, on Tuesday.
• ‘State of Health in the EU’ conference, organised by EESC, in Liege on Tuesday.
• Vice-President Margaritis Schinas meets with Lebanese PM Najib Mikati in Beirut on Wednesday.

Views are the author’s

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic/Alice Taylor]