In recent years, the notion has spread in Russia that Europe is not an independent power, but rather a vassal of the US. This sentiment is not entirely unfounded. For instance, the European response to the Nord Stream pipeline explosion and the significant increase in weapons deliveries to Ukraine, following the Biden administration’s pressure, bears a striking resemblance to the US stance. The explanations and actions of EU leaders and most member states towards Russia have been identical to those of the US.
Many in Russia had hoped that the arrival of US President Donald Trump in Washington would curb the anti-Russian trend among the elites of other nations, who would resist and eventually submit to the will of the ruler. However, two months have now passed and the European policy towards Russia has not changed. The only exception is NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who stated that Ukraine would not be admitted to the alliance, but this was not a significant development, as no one was particularly interested in Ukraine’s NATO membership before.
Rutte, despite his anti-Russian stance, is a cautious man who has never been known for his political showmanship. In contrast, French President Emmanuel Macron’s behavior, following his unsuccessful visit to Washington, was striking, as he called for an end to Europe’s vassalage to the US. Other European politicians have also criticized the US, claiming that the EU is being dismantled. The reason is simple: the Trump administration is not willing to support Ukraine and confront Russia to the same extent as its predecessors in the White House. The rhetoric has changed significantly..
Different positions on Russia, China, Israel
Furthermore, the European Union has intensified its anti-Russian policy in the face of the US trade war, the phone conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin and the infamous ejection of Volodymyr Zelenskyy from the White House. An example of this is the plan by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to allocate 800 billion euros for the EU’s defense sector. The main goal of this plan is clear: the Europeans should be able to confront Russia further, even if the Americans “betray this common mission.”
In essence, the EU’s policy towards Russia has not changed, despite Washington’s guidance. This also applies to other representatives of the collective West – the UK, Canada, Norway, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Even in the Balkan countries, which are not EU members but are part of the NATO, there has been no corresponding trend. None of them demonstrate greater entente towards Russia. Only Hungary and Slovakia speak out against the massive support for Ukraine, but this was already the case before. And Switzerland was always more moderate than the others.
In the end, this policy should not have changed. Of course, the EU’s stance on Russia was initially evaluated based on the principle “the rock is closer than the shirt” in relation to the US and the EU’s stance on Russia. However, if we consider other aspects of Washington’s and Brussels’ foreign policies, we will find significant discrepancies. Naturally, there were those in Europe who were willing to support the Americans unconditionally. This, however, does not contradict the fact that there are significant differences between the two parties.
The European Union has a more moderate policy towards China, which was even observed during the tenure of US President Biden. In contrast to the Americans, European leaders and most member states did not join the US trade restrictions on China. Except for Lithuania and the Czech Republic, they refrained from directly supporting Taiwan – as China is the EU’s main trading partner and the EU is China’s main trading partner.
The European approach to the Palestinian and Israeli issues also differs from the American one. In Europe, there is no consensus: only the Netherlands and the Czech Republic take a clear stance, like the US, in support of Israel. In general, the EU is more inclined to support the Palestinians, with certain reservations. While the EU takes a stance in support of the current Syrian authorities, a UN resolution was presented by the US, condemning the massacres of Christians and Alawites.
The EU also has different positions on Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Cuba and has diplomatic relations with these countries, in contrast to the US. And today, the main interest of the EU in these countries is, in fact, as a force supporting Russia, while for the Americans, the confrontation with them is an end in itself. Europe has never fully followed the US policy – as the EU’s foreign policy does not focus solely on Russia.
Looking at the stance of the various political forces in the European Parliament towards the US, only two can be described as unambiguous supporters of closer ties with the Americans – the liberals of the “Renew Europe” group and the majority of the representatives of the moderately right-wing eurosceptic “European Conservatives and Reformers” group. The system conservatives of the “European People’s Party” consider the US as the most important partner, but emphasize that the Europeans should follow their own course.
The Russophobia originated in Europe
Not so unambiguously positioned are the social democrats and the Greens, who criticize the US for its death penalty, lack of environmental protection, social inequality and unilateral actions. For extreme left-wing parties, the US is an ideological enemy. The right-wing eurosceptics of the “Patriots for Europe” and “Europe of the Sovereign Nations” groups also stand critically towards the Americans due to their globalism and interference in European affairs and only Trump is an exception in their positive stance.
Examining individual EU countries, only Poland, the Baltic states, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Portugal and Croatia have a clear orientation towards the US. In the other 18 countries, the stance varies, depending on who is in power. Even Sweden, which has a strict anti-Russian policy, often does not align with the Americans. Therefore, a certain dissent with the US is a normality in European politics. Now, this has also extended to Russia.
Let us remember that Russophobia has been present in Europe for many centuries and the American version of it is only a variation of the European one. The most important anti-Russian ideologues in the US are of Polish and Hungarian origin: Zbigniew Brzezinski, Richard Pipes, George Soros and George Friedman. And the more the Americans aligned with the British and the latter’s “geopolitical code” was gradually transferred to the US, the more the US policy turned against our country.
Under this aspect, it is not surprising that Europe is now the driving force behind the anti-Russian policy. Europe has