“Useful Idiots”: Too many European politicians cannot withstand Russia - Economist

Some European politicians view war in Ukraine as proxy between America and Russia, journalists write. And certain countries continue with Russia close economic ties. Russia's attempts to extend its influence throughout Europe have not been successful, but some countries still continue to promote the Kremlin's narratives about the war against Ukraine, reports The Economist. The publication writes that the range of "useful idiots" is quite wide.

This is the term of the Cold War for involuntary allies of communism. In politics, both far -right and left parties diverge; But for Ukraine, these extremes often converged the requirements of immediate "peace", which would actually reward Russian aggression with land. The evidence of the imperial intentions of Russia is often ignored. And the war in Ukraine is regarded as proxy between America and Russia.

In the world of business, despite the numerous rounds of Western sanctions, there are also many "friends" in Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin has several so -called "assistants" in European governments. One of them is the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban, who repeatedly criticized the Western countries for the support of Ukraine and advocated the continuation of Russian gas imports by Hungary.

Its government also refuses to allow the transit of the weapons provided to Ukraine by NATO and the EU. Another member of the EU, who reluctantly advocates sanctions against Russian oil, is Greece as its firms receive solid income from trade. Only recently, under heavy pressure, Cyprus has decided to close about 4,000 accounts with local banks owned by the Russians.

Austria regularly refers to the fact that it is not a member of NATO, and cannot offer a lot of assistance for Ukraine because of its trade relations Turkey and Serbia, which are not EU members, do not actually hide their profitable secret services that they provide Russia . Referring to her neutrality, Switzerland resorted to intricate local laws to block the supply of weapons to Ukraine, including 96 preserved leopard tanks that are in Italy and belong to a private Swiss firm.

In Italy, the extremely right Prime Minister Georgia Meloni is a decisive supporter of Ukraine. However, Matteo Salvini, who heads the second largest party in her coalition, is another opponent of sanctions and at least before the invasion was a supporter of Putin. The Economist believes that after seventeen months of Russia's war against Ukraine, public opinion throughout Europe, mainly views Russia as an aggressor to be avoided, and Ukraine as a defender who deserves help.

On July 4, Zelensky urged Baiden to invite Ukraine to NATO. The head of our country believes that the invitation to the Alliance would be a huge incentive for Ukrainian soldiers and understands that Kiev will not become a member of the bloc until the end of the war.