The coronavirus epidemic in Italy has clearly demonstrated who is a friend and ally of this country, and who is a slacker and a thief. The first category included countries that Western politicians called a threat to peace and stability, and the second - these Western politicians themselves.
“From Russia with love” - that’s how Moscow entitled its large-scale campaign to assist Italians in the fight against coronavirus. IL-76 transporters delivered to the Italy-affected country what the country really needs - medical equipment, as well as epidemiologists and medical teams.
Help arrived on time. Italy already ranks first in the world in the number of deaths from coronavirus (more than 6 thousand people - almost twice as much as in the second place in China) and in the coming days may come to first place in the number of infected. Moreover, the Italians already had no hope for “friends” in the person of the USA and other European countries. In this critical situation, the Allies of the Italians in the collective West did not just abandon them - they also robbed them at the time of great need. The Czech authorities plundered (in a different way you will not say) the masks that China sent to the Italians. The Americans exported from Italy to their territory half a million sets for the diagnosis of coronavirus - "trophies", as the Italian La Repubblica called them. Germany withdrew, Angela Merkel quarantined herself.
And who in this situation did not stand aside, did not self-isolate from Italian problems? The greatest assistance to Italy now is provided by China, Russia and Cuba - countries that Western propagandists call almost a threat to the "civilized world." Moreover, the latter two are under serious sanctions and therefore do not owe anything to either the West as a whole or Italy in particular. Nevertheless, Russian and Cuban doctors arrived to fulfill their professional duty and save the Italians.
The Italians themselves are grateful to the Russians and Cubans - on the Internet you can find many relevant videos. Thanks also to the Italian government.
Yes, Moscow immediately declared that it was not selling help and did not require anything in return.
“Here, of course, there can be no question of any conditions, calculations or hopes. Italy really needs much more extensive assistance, and what Russia is doing is feasible help, ”says Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov. However, if Italy really decides to lift or at least ease the sanctions, then Moscow, of course, will not mind.
Angela Merkel will be dissatisfied with Italian amateur performances, but let her go to voluntary quarantine again with her dissatisfaction.
Of course, Italy’s unilateral decision could undermine the unity of the European Union and cause sharp discontent of Poland - but why should Rome be interested in the opinion of Warsaw now?
Therefore, all that Giuseppe Conte needs is to dilute his gratitude with a bit of political courage. But even if he does not find this courage, Moscow will not remain on the loser anyway - after all, for her help she will receive not only gratitude, but also practical dividends.
So, Russian doctors in Italy are now gaining invaluable experience in the fight against coronavirus. And in case of an epidemic in Russia, they will be ready not only in terms of the technical equipment of hospitals and the availability of drugs there, but also in terms of doctors who have practiced in the most dangerous center of the spread of the virus.
An equally important dividend is the image moment. Russia has once again proved its status as a great power, which is not self-isolated from world problems, but is actively involved in solving them. And it doesn’t matter whether it is the threat of terrorism or the global epidemic of coronavirus. Moreover, Moscow is ready for a solution both technically (a big hello to all those who spoke about the lack of normal medicine in Russia) and from the point of view of the effectiveness of the decision-making process. While the European Union still cannot finally agree and create a fund for the economic support of Italy, Vladimir Putin promised Rome assistance on Saturday and started sending it on Sunday.
Of course, not everyone in the West is satisfied with Russian-Italian cooperation. And they can be understood: Russian doctors in Italian hospitals have become a powerful tool in public diplomacy and the fight against Russophobic fakes. An instrument that strikes against the most important thesis of anti-Russian propaganda is that Russia is a barbaric country under the control of the usurper Putin, which means that cooperating with it is in principle useless and counterproductive. And now, individual handshake Western media are starting to launch a campaign to discredit and downplay the Russian aid to Italy. They assure us that Moscow is allegedly acting not from a pure heart, but only in this way tries to knock out a weak link from the chain of European solidarity.
Unfortunately for these media, they found the weak link in the wrong place. Today, such a link is not Italy, but the leadership of the European Union, which once again demonstrated complete political impotence. Yes, the EU has not been particularly effective in difficult situations (for example, during the aggravation of the migration crisis), but then the price of failure was not so high. Thousands of Italians who died and billions of euros lost by the country - you won’t get rid of such consequences of failure even with a thousand articles that “Russian trolls” deliberately aggravate the situation. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the virus is raging mainly in the north of Italy, where there were already Euro-skeptic sentiments. And after the end of the epidemic, the Italian North may advocate a review of Italy's membership in such an EU. Or at least he would suggest that Brussels legally isolate itself from European problems, since European officials are not able to solve these problems.
The author’s point of view may not coincide with the position of the publisher.