The hustle and bustle of the world is all profit, and the world is all profitable. The foreign policy of all countries is in the service of their own interests, especially in the context of the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on a program on Radio France International that he supported the imposition of a new package of sanctions on Russia, noting that these sanctions may be related to restrictions on the supply of oil and coal.
There is a reason for France's reconsidering sanctions, and the recent announcement of "photos and videos of Russian troops killing civilians in the Kiev suburb of Bucha town" recently made Macron find a reason.
Germany next door is not idle, and the German newspaper Bild reported on April 4 that German authorities are studying the possibility of expelling up to 100 Russian diplomats, and the decision could be made this week.
Prime Minister Schoelz ordered an investigation into a "large number" of Russian diplomats suspected of espionage.
Recently, both France and Germany have stepped up sanctions against Russia and the expulsion of Russian-related personnel, the deep-seated reason for which is retaliation against Putin.
On March 23, Putin announced that for the European Union and other countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia, they will use rubles to settle natural gas. The decree was quickly signed on March 31 to formally introduce the regulation.
Russia's move not only achieved de-dollarization, but also gave the euro, which naturally made France, Germany and other countries dissatisfied.
The G7 has made it tough that it will not settle in rubles, but natural gas is just needed for Europe, and there are always countries that can't stand it and can't wait.
According to the Russian Satellite News Agency on April 4, Latvian Gas Company said that it was studying the possibility of paying for Russian gas in rubles.
It also explained that the procedure for settling in Russian rubles was acceptable without formal violation of the sanctions regime. At present, the relevant personnel are continuing to certify and analyze the proposed settlement method changes from the perspective of legal and corporate business interests.
If Belarus and Serbia agreed to buy natural gas in rubles, this situation is understandable, after all, the two have better relations with Russia.
But Latvia is one of the three Baltic states and has always been at odds with Russia. The fact that "the russian ruble settlement procedure did not formally violate the sanctions regime" seems to have a real impact on its own development.
On this sentence alone, the author believes that it is punching the face of European countries.
When Putin announced that it was necessary to buy gas in rubles, Europe accused Russia of not having the spirit of the contract, violating previous contracts and increasing sanctions.
This time, France and Germany are also sanctioning through various means, but Latvia said that this method does not violate the sanctions regime, and it is not a slap in the face of Westerners.
This fully shows that there are no eternal friends between countries, only eternal interests.
The author predicted a few days ago that natural gas and other energy sources are very important for European countries, which is related to the development of enterprises and the normal life of residents. Not to mention that Latvia, which is higher in latitude, especially needs natural gas for heating.
In addition to Latvia, Slovakia's economy minister Richard Sulik also said on April 3 that the country's gas supply could not be interrupted and that if Russia set conditions for payment in rubles, it should be paid in rubles.
If Latvia and Slovenia do buy gas in rubles, it will be a huge shock for European countries.
Originally, the energy crisis in various countries was becoming more and more obvious, prices were rising, and everyone was carrying pressure and struggling not to buy, but suddenly some people gave in. This is bound to exacerbate Europe's geopolitical rift, and once other countries follow suit, Europe's sanctions against Russia will be useless.