FLASH
Shkruar nga Vasilis Kostoulas
There are not a few in Europe who express dissatisfaction with this development in relations with Russia...
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Europe's relations with the Kremlin are at their lowest point since the Cold War. Through the most extensive package of sanctions in its history, the European Union treats Russia as a state that poses a major threat to European security. For this reason, European governments have embarked on a significant increase in defense spending.
However, there are many in Europe who express dissatisfaction with this development in relations with Russia. Basically, they fall into two categories. Some believe that the West's reaction to Putin was excessive from the beginning. Others think that Europe was initially forced to take a tough stance, but that now is the time to lay the foundations for warming relations with Moscow again. Some even propose returning the European economy to Russian energy reserves, focusing on the obvious consequences of disconnecting from its once largest supplier of oil and natural gas.
Representatives of the Greek political scene like to use the term "multidimensional foreign policy" to indicate the flexibility that, in their opinion, Athens should show towards major actors. However, in the geopolitical arena, circumstances often require decisions that have a cost. These days, we are even seeing the consequences that excessive "flexibility" in diplomacy can bring: Donald Trump is trying to find a formula for Turkey's return to the F-35 aircraft program, which, however, is not possible without Ankara giving up the Russian S-400 systems.
But can you ignore Russia indefinitely? There is no doubt that one of Europe’s biggest challenges in the near future will be to mend relations with the Kremlin. It is not just the fact that the two sides share the same continent, with all that that implies. The four-and-a-half-year rift is increasingly driving Russia’s transformation into a satellite state of China, a development that, in turn, opens up a debate of its own.
However, the conditions are not yet ripe for this version of a "multidimensional foreign policy", as long as the war of attrition in Ukraine continues. The restoration of relations with Russia is inevitable, provided that the moment chosen for this does not serve Putin's interests. / Adapted from "Pamphlet" by "Kathimerini"
Edhe babloku jone kshtu I ka mesuar europiont qe te flasin me putinin sic e paskan kuptu me ne fund edhe qirjet e greqise se udheheqesi global duhet degjuar