Europe, Globe, United Kingdom, World

Russia, Ukraine and Europe’s suicidal decision making

Despite its economic risk forecasts already predicting average inflation of over eight points this year in the European Union, amidst the boomerang effect of sanctions against Moscow, EU policy continues determined in its anti-Russian offensive.

 

The fact is, the EU, alongside the United States, is deepening its involvement in the armed conflict in Ukraine and the economic war against Russia, seemingly unaware of the almost suicidal nature of its mission.

The United States developed a strategy intended to create maximum division between Ukraine and Russia long before the coup d’état in Ukraine in February 2014. And it is now taking every opportunity to call for sustaining the conflict in Ukraine.

Since 24 February, when Russian president Vladimir Putin began a “special military operation” (in reality a war by another name) in Ukraine to “demilitarize and denazify” the country, Washington intensified its calls to economically strangle the Eurasian giant.

At the time, Moscow proposed a policy of engagement with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to avoid its expansion to the east, to Ukraine especially. However, the block disregarded these proposals, which sought responsible regional security.

The conflict led the United States to finally freeze the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that would have supplied cheaper gas to Germany, and instead propose much more expensive North American shale gas, according to local analysts.

Incidentally, the confrontation breathed new life into NATO. On the justification of confronting Russia’s war in Ukraine, during its Madrid summit the organization announced a ten-fold increase in troops stationed near to the Russian border – from 30,000 to 300,000.

Moreover, the calls from the White House to sustain the confrontation in Ukraine benefit US military companies, who have earned billions of dollars over the past few months. Meanwhile, in Europe, increased defence expenditure is a hot topic.

Amidst the boomerang effect of the over 10,000 punitive measures applied against Russia by the West, which have increased fuel, fertilizer and food prices, Europe is allowing itself the luxury of asking its citizens to make sacrifices and raising military spending.

The reason given is the threat imposed by Russia, although this was already being cited long before Russian troops invaded Ukraine – a country to which thousands of foreign mercenaries travelled, including from within Europe, for many, to end their days.

The calls made by French president Emmanuel Macron at the time also seem to have been forgotten. Macron called for the creation of a European army, parallel to the Atlantic Alliance, whose US-fronted structure is ardently defended by Washington, experts say.

Putin himself has stated on several occasions that Europe is demonstrating an open loss of dependence and complete subordination to the White House on the Ukrainian issue. In fact, the sanctions imposed are already starting to create significant divisions at the heart of the EU.

Caught in the worst inflation experienced in Europe for 40 years and the meteoric rise in fuel prices (which the West insists is the fault of Russia), Macron’s party has lost its parliamentary majority and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resigned.

Germany, Norway, Italy, France, Spain and Poland have already witnessed strike action by transport workers, farmers and some public sector staff due to soaring prices. And things are only just getting started.

Russia estimates that it has lost 10 billion dollars due to sanctions, as well as 300 billion in frozen central bank assets. But the economy faced up to an onslaught of draconian measures and created conditions for resistance.

Several days ago, Putin warned that his “operation” in Ukraine had barely begun, while his Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that Russian forces were using just a tiny fraction of their potential in this confrontation, in which NATO’s participation is becoming more direct. According to the Russian leader, the United States is prepared to send every Ukrainian to war. We could add that it is also seeking to sustain the economic escalation against Russia until the end of “the last European economy”. Afterall, it would mean one less competitor. (PL)

(Translated by Rebecca Ndhlovu – Email: rebeccandhlovu@hotmail.co.uk) – Photos: Pixabay

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