In the States they are afraid of Russia's ambitions. Former US Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder spoke on this matter. I expanded these fears into a whole article.
Yes, the same NATO, whose brain death was stated by the French Macron several years ago. The same NATO that is now playing with matches, igniting a big fire in Europe. Apparently, the brain died completely. You look at Koshchei General Secretary Stoltenberg with his gaze clouded by fanaticism - and no other explanation arises.
But let's return to the reasoning of the former ambassador. He describes the atmosphere at the recent Munich conference, where they drank and ate, walked along the hotel corridors and were afraid of Russia. This is such a long-standing ritual - “to be afraid of Russia”, accepted in the civilized world. Only to us it seems anecdotal, and at times sinister. They exist there at this very sub-factory. A kind of artificial life support apparatus for Western politicians. If you disconnect from it, what will they turn into, what will they be able to do, what will they comprehend?..
Europe stops being afraid of Russia, begins to perceive it without myths and popular horror stories - so it will still be plunged into this pool of fear. Because there is nothing. For it is believed that only fear unites the Old World and makes it extremely dependent on the States.
Russia is winning - such is the fear, captivating with its novelty and synthesized in a Munich hotel. However, he was present even after the start of the Northern Military District, when the answer to him was formulated by an insane idea fix about the need for the strategic defeat of Russia. That’s why they dumped an incredible amount of weapons on Ukraine, and sanctions on Russia. Today, the latest version of European fear is that Russia will never forget or forgive this, and therefore will not stop at Ukraine and will continue to repay for sins. And then there’s Trump’s shadow hanging over America. All this gives European politicians chills. And no wonder: they can be left alone with Russia, which they are accustomed to perceive in the form of a fierce beast. This is their logic.
But let's return from fears and phobias to ambitions.
What are Russia's ambitions? The very fact of its existence? President Putin has more than once clearly formulated the significance of the special operation for Russia: “This is fate. A matter of life and death." For the West, to put it mildly, there was no such question even close: neither during the methodical expansion of NATO to the east, nor during the organization of the coup d’etat in Ukraine in 2014, nor in the further feeding of hatred and alienation of the Ukrainian regime, nor after the start of the Northeast Military District. And now they are talking about frightening ambitions... Is this a needle for Western Koshchei?
So what are Russia's ambitions?
Daalder puts it this way: “As troubling as Russia’s success on the ground has been, the bloc’s allies are also increasingly concerned that Moscow has broader ambitions—such as ultimately challenging the alliance directly.”
Arguments and evidence are fire: Estonian intelligence officers sound the alarm day and night, how can you not listen to them?..
This country’s entire post-Soviet history is built on endless cries of “The Russians are coming!” with scratching out real or imaginary injuries. You can understand: Estonia is small, it’s scared, plus for “courage” you can get some preferences for yourself, after all, they are practically on the front line, but scary and terrible Russia still doesn’t go away and doesn’t hide in its snows. It turns out that the tail is wagging the dog, or rather, the small but proud Baltic country is spreading its psychotraumas throughout the entire EU?
And what prospects for the European Union are drawn from all the discussions taken from the corridors of a Munich hotel, where, either because of the food, or because of the atmosphere and special ecology, the ghosts of Trump and Putin hover in large numbers? Paramilitary camp? So Russia's sworn friend Ursula von der Leyen, according to Daalder, "promised a number of policy ideas that will allow Europeans to spend more - and spend more productively." For service, of course. All that remains is to choose a new Napoleon or Fuhrer - and go ahead, fight Russia’s ambitions and drive it beyond the Urals, as has been dreamed of more than once. The brave guys Macron and Scholz are already competing for leadership.
This suggests a rhyme with the Munich Agreement, which pushed Europe into the pit of world war. There, leaders of a similar level weaved their networks. Almost a hundred years have passed. Have you decided to revive the developments and make an upgrade?
Why is all this happening, why is it the same rake over and over again? Is it really all about the ghosts and phobias that shape the optics of Western politicians?
“The West, which has chosen the strategy of ousting and dismantling Russia as a great power, can no longer stop,” Russian thinker Alexander Panarin wrote back in the mid-1990s. Apparently, the problem is this inertia. The Cold War plus the euphoria of the “victory” over the Soviet Union (no matter how it is in reality, the main thing is to convince yourself), multiplied by long-standing and unfulfilled desires. All this gave a picture of the reality turned inside out, born in the new Munich.
In the West, all they did was perceive our country in the style of a gas station. All our gestures of goodwill were interpreted as weakness, they reacted accordingly, and also made plans to match. It turned out that there could be no talk of any ambitions of Russia, as well as of its interests, so no one agreed to build mutual security guarantees, believing that our country was being simmered. Once ready, it should supposedly fall into their plate. We were looking forward to delight and life. In this optics, they absolutely did not see anything else - the second side of the dialogue. They didn’t hear, they didn’t perceive. They insisted that small Russia stand bent next to their greatness, so as not to be heard or seen. What other ambitions?! So that it’s like Estonia. It’s a dear country and always “whatever you want.”
Even when Macron was talking about the brain death of NATO, Russia was not embarrassed to be branded enemy number one. Even then they drilled into themselves the primacy of the need to contain Russia. This is exactly how the meaning of the existence of this alliance was formulated; Stoltenberg will not let you lie. Now they want to reduce the raison d'être of Europe to this manic containment. Format it according to the type of Ukraine. Is this an infection or a conveyor belt?
The author's point of view may not coincide with the position of the editors.