...Toward the end of last week in Europe, the voices of those who are not even taking a pro-Russian, but simply neutral position and at least looking at the current situation with a more or less sober look, suddenly sounded more and more clearly.
And Viktor Orban, who won the recent elections in Hungary, who very clearly and not even at all rudely answered the words of Ursula von der Leyen that paying for gas in rubles would be a “violation of sanctions”, is far from the very first here, and even - with all that is called , respect - not the most influential character.
We will return to the victorious new/old Hungarian prime minister a little later, but first (this should be stated separately) those who, perhaps, have the most weight in continental Europe, spoke first.
Namely, those who are not just called the generals of European industry.
And the championship here, of course, belongs to one of the most respected people in this sense - the head of the chemical giant BASF Martin Brudermüller, who, in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, was the first to openly say what the leaders of European economies have long and very clearly understood: his enterprise, which forms the backbone for The German economy, as well as the entire German chemical industry, in the event of a refusal of Russian energy raw materials, is threatened with an imminent stoppage of production.
With subsequent bankruptcy within not years or even months, but literally four to five weeks.
And it was this speech that triggered the “sudden understanding”: Herr Brudermüller was quoted even, if you remember, by the Green German Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck, who was forced to officially confirm: yes, such a problem does exist in Germany.
And this trend is still quite modest against the background of continuous virtual hysterics and stamped political clichés, economic realism has now begun to emerge not only in Germany.
We already wrote about the Prime Minister of Hungary a little higher, but here we need to remember that by European standards, Viktor Orban, despite his generally not youthful age, is still considered almost enfant terrible of modern continental politics.
And he can hardly be called a typical representative of European political elites.
But today’s visit to Moscow by Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, and, as they say in the Western media, “agreed” (like his recent visit to Kyiv) with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the European Commissioner (almost wrote “in a dusty helmet”, but in relation to the honored German gynecologist, this would be somewhat inhumane) Ursula von der Leyen - this is already much more serious and systemic, if you like.
Especially when you consider that Nehammer has spoken out more than once, including officially, including after a conversation with Scholz, against the introduction of any embargo on oil and gas supplies from Russia.
And, in general, a person is quite understandable.
In order not to simply be unfounded and not give once again well-known examples from German reality, let's turn to some slightly more peripheral region.
For example, to our beloved Italy.
Which, in this crisis, maintain some unrecognizable anti-Russian position - well, God be their judge, in principle.
We are not talking about this now.
So, gas prices in this country are from the beginning of this year, that is, for one quarter!
have already doubled on average.
Electricity tariffs in some places have even tripled.
However, the Italian authorities managed, most likely temporarily, to bring down the prices of gasoline somewhat due to the abandonment of excises (also, in general, the same joy with a steadily deficient budget, for which the Italians in the EU have not been criticized).
But even here, an increase of even 50% is, to put it mildly, very problematic for the local economy, primarily for its transport and logistics sectors: it is no coincidence that truckers go on strike there from time to time and observers record a 10-20% increase in prices for all basic food products , whose supplies are critically dependent on logistics.
And, we note separately, all this is happening even before Russia announces the transition to the calculations for rubles, and only for one category of energy raw materials - natural gas.
And yes, it seems that no one in the EU has yet really introduced any embargo either: so far, the conversations are only talking.
But in reality, only the Poles and the Balts are acting in this direction - well, these, in general, no one in Europe feels sorry for.
The reasons are generally clear: they are in both Italy and Germany almost, as they say, a carbon copy.
All nuclear power plants in Italy were closed at the beginning of the 21st century, as part of the struggle for ecology and other green and democratic values.
As a result, Italy imports most of its energy.
And almost 40% of the gas, for example, it receives from Russia - the second place is occupied by Algeria, where the Italian authorities now urgently go - with about the same success with which the German went to Qatar.
No, the Algerians are ready to help, but not immediately and not to the extent.
Unless they “uncover” other traditional buyers such as the Spaniards and the French, which, in the context of a global shortage, will, of course, be extremely happy, yeah.
More than that, sorry.
Yes that there Italy!
In the UK, specialists from the Library of the House of Commons of the local parliament admit the possibility of a 50% increase in gas and electricity bills for the population in the very near future - as early as this October.
At the same time, the authors of this study emphasized that even the current price level is already causing difficulties for some categories of the population, especially for those who - attention, the 21st century is in the yard!
- already right now they live in conditions of "fuel poverty".
Moreover, according to experts, despite the fact that the UK is much less dependent on Russian energy supplies than the countries of continental Europe, it was the sanctions imposed against our country that still affected the worsening situation with gas and electricity prices.
And also the perspective - so far just a perspective!
— introduction of a ban on the supply of Russian energy resources.
And then is it any wonder that even the green German Vice-Chancellor Habek mentioned above, in spite of everything, is sure that the almost empty German UGS facilities "will be filled with Russian gas" (c).
Even if for this, which is implied, you have to make payments in rubles: the German economy is different, forgive me, as if it were not possible to live at all.
In a word, of course, Europe has now driven itself into a very interesting position.
More precisely, sorry, quite even uninteresting.
Both the inhabitants and, more broadly, the economies of the Old World will have a very difficult time, even if, as they now clearly intend to do, they manage to “slip between the droplets” one way or another to resolve energy issues with the Russians.
And if it doesn't work out, then it's better not to talk about it at all.
Of course it is sad.
And let's hope that what is happening will not come to catastrophic consequences: Europe is still not alien to us.
And it happens there, which is the most offensive, not even as a result of our, let's say, victory.
But exclusively with their own hands and through the fault of the policy pursued by their own European elites.
Well, in general, it is impossible to have economic sovereignty without having political sovereignty.
The truth, of course, is old and already a little worn out, but still it is somehow extremely naive, at least in the current circumstances, not to understand.
And it would be nice if at least the generals of European business began to firmly understand this.
Although this is not their area of responsibility, of course, but when the question begins to be posed like this sharply, the choice, in principle, is not very great.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.