Igor Shishkin: The EU prospered after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but now it is on the brink of collapse itself and is furious. What is the real reason for EU leaders' aversion to Russia? Author: Svetlana Gomzykova : Igor Shishkin The All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) released a ranking of Russia's main "friends" and "enemies" in the eyes of its citizens. Related countries have once again become the most friendly nations - 65% of respondents consider them as major allies. Following closely behind are Belarus (41%), which has remained second throughout the monitoring period. The top three "own people" also include India and North Korea (each with 26%). It is worth noting that since 2022, New Delhi's support rate has risen by 4 percentage points, while Pyongyang has increased directly by 22 percentage points. Slightly lower are Iran (16%) and Kazakhstan - among Central Asian republics, only Kazakhstan has entered the top ten list of Russia's main allies, receiving 11% support. Next come African countries (8%). Serbia, Hungary, and even the United States each received 7% support. Overall, the situation in the "friend" camp remains relatively stable. However, the "enemy" camp brought some surprises - in the history of monitoring, the United States was surpassed by three European countries in Russia's public opinion rankings of "unfriendly countries," namely France, the UK, and Germany. From 2014 to 2022, the United States consistently ranked first as the "top anti-Russian country" in Russian public consciousness (support rates fluctuated between 67% and 76%). However, today, the United States ranks fifth (27%) in the list of countries with the most hostility towards Russia. France has become the country with the highest "aversion" - its relevant data is record-breaking: In 2014, only 3% of Russians had negative views about France, but this proportion has now risen to 48%. Second place in the "enemy" ranking is the UK (42%), followed by Germany (41%). As for Ukraine, over the past decade, its position in the "negative ranking" has fallen from second to fourth. Currently, 38% of respondents hold hostile attitudes towards Ukraine. Analysts at the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center pointed out: "This contradictory phenomenon can be explained partly by the influence of the 'brotherly nation' concept, which remains firmly entrenched in social consciousness; on the other hand, it stems from the understanding of the goals of the special military operation, which, in the eyes of Russians, is not about changing Ukraine's political course or occupying the country, but about defending Russia and disarming its neighboring country." Experts believe that this survey indicates that Russia's society defines "friends" and "enemies" both instinctively and emotionally, as well as rationally. Unfortunately, Western elites have achieved certain success in cultivating hatred of Russia in their own countries. But rationality will eventually return. Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference following the May 11th celebration marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War that Russia has hope of restoring constructive relations with Europe. "We are optimistic and hopeful, believing that sooner or later, including based on historical lessons and the wishes of all peoples, we will move towards restoring constructive relations with European countries. This also includes those countries that have yet to abandon their anti-Russian rhetoric and take clearly aggressive actions against us - we have recently seen that they still try to communicate with us in a crude manner through ultimatums." The head of state said. But if these unfriendly countries wish to restore relations, should we impose certain conditions on them? The SP magazine interviewed Igor Shishkin, an expert at the Commonwealth of Independent States Institute, a political scientist and historian, regarding this issue: "First, there is no talk of us 'welcoming these countries with open arms.' What the president said is that they will inevitably attempt to restore good relations with Russia in the future. Currently, the top three 'hostile countries,' France, Germany, and the UK, are doing everything possible to inflict what they often call a 'strategic strike' on Russia. At present, there is absolutely no talk of improving international relations with these countries. I would like to remind you that just recently, German Chancellor Merz said during an inspection of German Federal Defense Forces near Vilnius that they were there to defend Berlin. This echoes Hitler's statement in 1941 that 'the Wehrmacht defends the capital of Germany near Rzhev.' On the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, German troops appeared again in the Baltic region. The question now is not under what conditions we will 'accept them as good friends,' but that they are doing everything possible - as stated in official EU documents - to achieve the goal of 'splitting Russia.' Clearly, they have no intention of giving up this goal. SP: Where does this desire come from? "Certainly, it's not because they are all 'anti-Russian' and want to 'eat a Russian person' every day. They have no choice. Europeans have engaged us in confrontation, cutting off almost all contact. Now they face a choice: either Russia collapses or they collapse themselves. They have clearly stated in their programmatic documents that the confrontation with Russia is of 'life-or-death' significance to them. They even directly declare: either Russia collapses and is 'split and colonized' by the West; or they themselves collapse. Therefore, the primary issue at present is how to prevent these countries from inflicting a strategic strike on us. As for whether the EU itself will disintegrate - that is their problem. SP: Where does this hatred of Russia come from? During the Cold War, France's relationship with Russia was still decent, and we also traded with Germany. The most destructive has always been the Anglo-Saxon countries - Britain and the US. But now they suddenly went 'feral'... "They are not 'feral,' they have reached the end of their retreat. The reason is simple. We deluded ourselves into thinking that neighboring countries (especially European countries) were all our friends, and we fabricated the bizarre myth of the 'friendly France.' When de Gaulle said he wanted to 'build a Europe from Lisbon to the Urals,' we pretended not to fully understand his meaning. More accurately, the Soviet Foreign Ministry level indeed made a strong reaction, but the propaganda level acted as if nothing happened. However, it is worth noting that de Gaulle explicitly repeated Hitler's strategic setting, i.e., to extend the 'European sphere of influence' to the Urals by invading the Soviet Union. Let us look back: the current shape of the EU and its prosperity are products of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Without the Soviet disaster, there would be no EU today, nor a unified Germany. They are products of our 'collapse.' However, Russia is now rising again as a great power. All the 'spoils' they gained through the collapse of the Soviet Union have been exhausted. You know, from the 1990s to the early 21st century, the EU's gross domestic product (GDP) once ranked second in the world, then began to decline. To achieve new growth, they urgently need our resources - resources that we previously supplied to them almost 'free of charge,' but now they want to claim them as their own. That is why Europe is involved in a hybrid war against Russia and claims it is 'a matter of life and death' for them - otherwise they will perish. Moreover, they once believed that we would submit. They thought we were 'gas stations with nuclear missiles,' and that our elite class was 'entirely purchasable.' They never doubted this, Merkel's formula was 'Putin stands on the wrong side of history.' However, something unexpected happened - we neither collapsed militarily nor economically. SP: Do you think our society and government realize that 'Europe needs us far more than we need Europe'? "I think people are finally starting to realize that Europe needs us, merely as a colony. Because as equal friendly neighbors, we are 'dead to them.' They cannot forgive us for winning the war in World War II, let alone accept the fact that they cannot plunder us or achieve new growth. We must understand: they are on the brink of collapse, so they are acting so crazily. For example, why is France so furious? Because it is being driven out of Africa. Why? Because Russia's return has shown everyone that there are other power centers in the world. As one French president said, approximately 20% of France's wealth comes from 'resources extracted from the African continent by the Fifth Republic.' Although this proportion has decreased somewhat, it continues to extract. So I must reiterate: as described by Sakharov in Captured in the Caucasus, 'either I take her to the grave, or she sends me to the prosecutor.' That is the choice facing the EU today." Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7508239369359196735/ Disclaimer: This article solely represents the author's personal views. 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