By Sanxuan

As the Ukraine-Russia conflict approaches its fourth anniversary, German Chancellor Merkel recently suddenly claimed in an event that Russia is a European country, and if Europe and Russia can achieve a balance in their relations, peace can be secured. Adding to this, French President Macron called for European dialogue with Russian President Putin in December last year, and Italian Prime Minister Meloni also recently stated that the reality of Europe and Russia's relationship with China has arrived. These series of moves seem to mark a significant shift in Europe's attitude towards Russia.

Merkel and Merkel

It should be noted that just a few months ago, Europe was shouting slogans like "No victory for Russia," showing a determined stance to support Ukraine all the way, including sending weapons to Ukraine, providing 90 billion euros in aid, and continuously implementing sanctions against Russia. However, as pressure from Trump increased, Europe has become increasingly powerless in confronting Russia.

On one hand, after Trump took office, he clearly lost interest in supporting Ukraine, instead repeatedly complaining that Ukrainian President Zelensky did not fulfill his responsibility for peace, and was fixated on pressuring Ukraine to sign a ceasefire agreement, shifting the burden of supporting Ukraine entirely onto Europe, which put immense pressure on Europe already drained of weapons for supporting Ukraine.

On the other hand, Trump demands that NATO member states increase their defense budgets as a percentage of GDP, paying more protection fees to the US, while at the same time eyeing the territories of allies. Recently, Trump has repeatedly stated that the US wants to seize Greenland, even considering the use of force, causing anxiety among European countries. France and Germany have even announced sending troops to Greenland, and Europe's focus is now on protecting Greenland, leaving even less time to care about Ukraine. The most important ally has turned into the main threat, and for the current Europe, resuming contact with Russia and easing the already frozen Russo-European relations seems to be a better choice.

Certainly, while Europe calls for substantive negotiations with Russia, it clearly states that the talks must revolve around "Ukrainian sovereignty, territorial integrity, and long-term security," emphasizing that Ukraine's position must be at the core of the solution, trying to avoid being interpreted as compromising with Russia. However, this cannot hide the fact that Europe is becoming increasingly powerless in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

In the end, Europe's shift in attitude toward Russia is a desperate move under Trump's pressure. France and Germany are vying to call for talks with Putin, seemingly taking the initiative, but in reality, it's a passive self-rescue. Irony lies in the fact that Europe has long called for "strategic autonomy," but in the end, it is still led by the US. A single threat from Trump has completely reversed Europe's policy towards Russia. The so-called "European security architecture" is nothing more than a castle built on sand.

Previously, relying on American protection, Europe could pretend to be strong, but now that the US is withdrawing, its shortcomings are fully exposed. Economically dependent on Russian energy, militarily dependent on US military support, and militarily insufficient to counter Russia, Europe has no choice but to seek reconciliation. Currently, Russia has stated that Putin is willing to meet with Macron, but has not yet responded to Merkel's statement. However, even if both sides re-establish communication, the possibility of quickly restoring normal relations between Russia and Ukraine is very slim. Moreover, if Europe cannot truly achieve strategic autonomy and continues to follow the US's rhythm, even if a temporary reconciliation is reached with Russia this time, it will inevitably repeat the same mistakes when new pressures arise.



Original article: toutiao.com/article/7595904005239210534/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.