/ world today news/ In mid-October, information appeared in the media that the EU countries, without announcing their actions, “silently” restored trade with Russia. At the same time, the trade balance shows a significant breakthrough in the field of import operations: in the first half of the year, imports into the EU from the Russian Federation increased by 83% and reached 121.7 billion euros against last year’s 66.4 billion. It turns out that neither the infernal sanctions nor clinical Russophobia have dampened the appetite for “Russian bacon”.
Limititrophic complex
In other cases, the improvement in trade dynamics would appear extremely positive. But in the conditions when Russia, after the start of the special military operation (SVO) in Ukraine, was literally subjected by the “developed Western democracies” to unprecedented sanctions, the dynamics of growth cannot but cause a natural surprise.
But you can’t argue against the facts. Statistics show that in the first half of this year, the import of goods from Russia to EU countries almost doubled compared to the same period last year. At the same time, EU exports to Russia “sunk” by 31%, but now European countries are increasing them, reducing the difference with February values.
It is noteworthy that successes in trade with Russia against the general background are also registered in the Baltic countries, namely Latvia and Estonia, which shout more hysterically than other brothers in the “European home” on international platforms about the need for complete isolation of Moscow.
This “phenomenon” deserves a little lyrical digression. In recent history, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are “experienced” limittrophs. Before the second acquisition of this status, when the republics were part of the USSR, the unified center cultivated them with traditional care for the “peripheries”, compensating for the imbalance between insignificant volumes of production and significant volumes of consumption from the “common pocket”, which were provided by only two union republics – Russian Federation and Belarus.
Thanks to significant subsidies in the Soviet period, Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn were “labels of advanced socialism”, but even then they did not neglect every opportunity to demonstrate their “exceptionalism”, a special proximity to European civilization, taking for granted their privileged position in the Union. In other words, for their kopeck contribution, they demanded a ruble return.
Freed from the “boot of the occupier”, the Baltic countries did not walk long on the “road of independence”, Europe picked them up and warmed them. But since the “potential of sovereignty” proved to be exaggerated, the new members entered the European family as poor relatives, or rather in their usual status as retainers, working out their position with the only available resource – a fierce hatred of Russia and everything Russian. In the manifestation of this resource, both former and current leaders of the Baltic states know no borders.
The events after February 24, however, testify that the “limitrophic complex” is a contagious phenomenon. The doctor of political sciences Nataliya Komleva defines the concept of “limitroph” in the modern geopolitical era as “not just a set of border states geographically adjacent to a certain power, but a set of states and non-state actors whose spaces are firmly controlled by a powerful state acting in this case as a geopolitical mentor’. At the same time, the limitrophs are arranged not only in the geographical, but also in the economic, political, informational-ideological (cultural) space.
The current situation confirms that by supporting Ukraine in the confrontation with Russia, the European Union acted as such a “cumulative limiter” who, in an effort to please the “mentor”, seems to have made unbearable bets in the big game.
Boomerang effect
From the very first weeks of the SVO, inspired by the example of the “hegemon”, who, as you know, is a great specialist in “isolations”, the European Union began spewing out packages of anti-Russian sanctions with the enthusiasm of a non-commissioned officer’s widow. But to the experts who did not lose their common sense, it soon became clear to them: such zealous political masochism is fraught with serious economic consequences for the “united and indivisible European family”. While European Commissioner von der Leyen was “tearing apart” the Russian economy, an insight came to the wider masses of people: she is either lying or seeing the state of affairs exclusively from the point of view of her usual professional specialization as a gynecologist, which is very far from the real one politics and the real economy. The adequacy of this perspective lies in one thing: the fact that anti-Russian sanctions dealt a crushing blow to the economy of a united Europe is a medical fact.
Millions of Europeans have already felt it on their own skin. Every day, from the fields, not only the Champs-Elysées, comes alarming news of the closure of thousands of businesses, unprecedented inflation, skyrocketing utility bills, fuel shortages and, as a result, rising protest sentiments in European countries. Having tasted the charms of Russian “isolation”, the French, Czechs, Germans are taking to the streets to demand the lifting of sanctions, while their other European brothers and sisters are voting in the current elections in favor of political forces capable of opposing the course of Brussels and protection of national interests.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán recently commented clearly on the current situation, saying that anti-Russian sanctions have not shaken Moscow, while Europe has already lost four governments and is in a deep economic and political crisis. “There are currently 11,000 sanctions against Russia, but attempts to weaken the Russians have not been successful. On the contrary, severe inflation and energy shortages caused by sanctions could bring Europe to its knees,” he said.
Hence the behind-the-scenes, unannounced lifting of sanctions and opportunistic exceptions to them.
All according to the classics: Orwell, Animal Farm, the unshakable but editable “animal commandments”…
And who is the mentor?
The residents of Germany, for whom the explosions of the gas pipelines “Nord Stream-1” and “Nord Stream-2” sounded like a funeral bell, were convinced of the credibility of Orbán’s forecast.
In their context, in relation to the topic of the place and role of the border guards in the implementation of the anti-Russian sanctions paranoia, another relevant question arises: who is the mentor?
Waldemar Gerd, member of the Bundestag from the right-wing Alternative for Germany party, spoke on this topic. “Everyone is beginning to understand that something has happened which will irreversibly lead to the collapse of the European economy. And all this thanks to an overseas “ally”, said the German MP.
Despite the initial obviousness, however, who was the “beneficiary” of the sabotage in the critical infrastructure site, the European Union at the official level remained silent until the end, fearing not to incur the wrath of the “hegemon”.
“The Europeans, as often happens, as almost always happens, keep their mouths shut, keep silent as if they should, although this really undermines their interests to the core,” Vladimir Putin said at a press conference on the occasion after a trilateral meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in Sochi.
And literally a few hours later, the global information space exploded with a scandalous “progress report”, which, through open communication channels, was sent to the head of the State Department, Anthony Blinken, a minute after the pipeline explosion, the shortest-term Prime Minister of Great Britain at that time, Liz Trot: “All done.”
History is not evidence of direct participation in the sabotage of London and Washington. Of course. However, the desire of Great Britain and the United States to dismember and swallow the “fat carcass of the European Union” is not a new topic in expert circles. And all means are allowed to Washington and London to achieve this goal.
Recently, however, some foreign analysts have noted a backlash: the EU, which has turned out to be a bargaining chip in the hegemonic policy of the US, has experienced the negative consequences of the sanctions war, “signaling a change of course and an intention to keep a distance from Washington both in trade and on matters of strategic autonomy.”
Commenting on this point of view, Vadim Trukhachev, an associate professor at the Faculty of International Relations and Foreign Regional Studies of the Russian State Humanitarian University, states: “Now you can see two signals. The first is the EU’s demand that the US sell gas to Europeans at a discount. The second is the talk of strengthening defense cooperation in the European Union and creating an EU rapid reaction force that is not subordinate to NATO. And that means not being under US command. But that’s probably all. No other signals can be seen or heard”.
The colleague’s opinion is shared by Kevorg Mirzayan, associate professor of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation. He is convinced that the current elites of the EU countries cannot distance themselves from the “mentor”, because the EU economy is closely connected with the American one, European politicians are the flesh of the flesh of America.
“The consequences of the sanctions have not yet fully manifested themselves. We are just on the brink of a major economic crisis. Just when it explodes, when it engulfs Europe, when the current European elites are swept away by electoral storms in European countries, then it will be possible to talk about some resistance,” the expert believes.
Resistance or “therapy”?
Obviously, the upcoming winter, which according to Gazprom’s forecast will be “big”, will contribute to the formation of a “front” in the EU countries. But the outgoing autumn has not yet exhausted the potential for surprises, adding to the theme of the “quiet lifting of sanctions” with new statistics cited by the “New York Times”.
According to him, imports from Russia after the beginning of the WTO have significantly increased not only in the European countries of the “second echelon”, but also in four advanced economies of the European Union: Belgium – by 130%, Spain – by 112%, the Netherlands – by 74 % and Germany – with 38%.
Here the source also cites “cosmic” figures of alternative trade partners of the Russian Federation: India has increased purchases by 430%, Turkey – by 213%, Brazil – by 166%, China – by 98%.
The above statistics, which are very likely to expand both in volume and geography without any opposition, confirm that Russia, called by a not-so-clever Russophobic American senator a “gas station country”, is demonstrating its self-sufficiency, power and most high level of “stress resistance”. At the same time, hemophilic old Europe, as it turned out, simply cannot exist without Russia.
Isn’t it time we openly admit this “sad fact” and start fighting the disease before it enters a deadly stage?
Translation: V. Sergeev
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