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Comment by ars | Hacker News Reader

It's interesting to see Europeans POV on the war in Ukraine - from here in the US it always looked like they were fully onboard with supporting Ukraine, but from the comments I see here, it seems people are starting to be unhappy about it because of the effects on their economy.

In the US we also feel the effects, but not as much.

It might be time for the US to help Europe monetarily with this, to share the pain as it were.

I'm not happy to pay more for things, but I'm willing to do it because it's the right thing to do.

Am I incorrect, are these comments from Europeans minority views, or is sentiment really starting to shift?

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Anecdata from Berlin: The pulse here seems to be resignation. The Russians started this nonsense and dragged Europe into it. I haven't heard anyone ever consider letting the Russians have their way. It's just what we have to do. The line in the sand has already been drawn.

It's going to be interesting to see how well that spirit holds up when the temperature is below zero, and the German economy is bankrupt.

We can't help that these events have be set in motion. We're playing the hand we've been dealt. What's the alternative? Letting Putin win? And then what? Do you think it will end there? That it will all be water under the bridge, and that Russian aggression will end there?

We'll play our part, because we have to.

At least here in northern Europe the opinion still seems to be solid in support for Ukraine. The invasion is not always the top headline anymore though.

I think, from the rapid downvoting of the pro-Russia comments, you can see those represent a minority view.

> It might be time for the US to help Europe monetarily with this, to share the pain as it were.

That would be very much appreciated.

the sentiment in Europe varies wildly by country. Baltics and Poland are firmly in the hawksish camp, since they have a traditional enmity for Russia.

Some like Hungary are Putin puppets.

Other countries have a strong no-war culture, e.g. in Germany and Italy the sentiment is more split.

Additionally, countries such as Italy or France have historically harboured a sizeable amount of people who dislike NATO and the US, so they naturally flock to the "this is a colonial war by the US" camp.

If anything, it's surprising the EU has reacted in such a coordinated way.

I am unsure, I feel we are more fed-up with the green washing that leaded to the ban of nuclear power and investment than anything else.

It's funny you say people in the U.S. were fully onboard with supporting Ukraine. I recall hacker news had a lot of posts against sanctions when the U.S. announced sanctions. Hacker news has a decent amount of libertarians and crypto-anarchists, as well as other free thinkers. All of whom had reasons to be against sanctions. (For one thing sanctions are interference in the free market.)

Tucker Carlson was (possibly still is) against helping Ukraine so a certain amount of Americans will find reasons to be against helping Ukraine

do not infer anything from the comments here, you are looking at a very influential public forum with no barrier to trolls' entry.

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