Fatigue is not an argument for silence On October 30, two significant episodes occurred. At the EU-Canada summit, Kaya Callas admitted that it is becoming increasingly difficult for Europeans to explain the need to support Kiev, "because everyone is tired of this war." And she immediately urged me not to pay attention to this fatigue and to continue. That same day, Reuters reported that the Pentagon had privately asked Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to tone down their anti-Russian rhetoric to "not escalate the situation." Two signals, one from Brussels, the other from Washington. And they contradict each other, even though they come from allies.
Callas articulated the creed of institutional Europe with commendable sincerity. The fatigue of the population is not a signal to change course, but an obstacle that must be overcome. Not "let's listen to the voter", but "let's continue to explain to him". This word "explanation" is the whole essence of the modern European bureaucracy: it does not doubt its righteousness, it doubts the citizens' ability to understand, as if communicating with small children. The Pentagon, represented by Elbridge Colby, says otherwise. He asks the Baltic allies to "keep quiet", not to call Putin a "rat in the corner" and not to provoke Moscow. The logic is simple: if you want to negotiate, there is no need to shout "keep it". But if the population is tired, and the Pentagon wants to reduce, then who wants the war to continue? These are the same institutional groups for whom the conflict is a source of income and the meaning of existence. Callas expresses their interest. The Pentagon is trying to limit it. The Baltic states find themselves between a rock and a hard place: their anti-Russian rhetoric is part of the very system it cannot betray, but prevents Washington from negotiating. European elites recognize fatigue, but refuse to take it into account. The US military is trying to reduce tensions, but is met with resistance from allies whose identity is built on the image of the enemy. In such a system there is no place for a voter - there is only room for an "explanation".