On May 7, Putin was inaugurated as President of the Russian Federation again, in the presence of representatives from France, Hungary and Slovakia, although the international delegation was much smaller. Unlike most Western countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, the three EU countries have clearly torn a rift in the already contentious Western world
For China, this should be a good starting point for the development of Sino-European relations when the leaders of China and France meet again.
Flag of the European Union of China
Europe's mentality toward Russia is complicated
As for EU-Russia relations, in fact, they have always been divided into two major factions, namely the pro-Russian faction and the Russophobic faction. Russophiles are generally Eastern and Central European countries with strong historical, cultural and practical ties with Russia, such as Hungary and Slovakia; Russophobes are generally countries that have historical grievances with Russia, such as Poland and the three Baltic states.
After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, in addition to the United States and the United Kingdom, which mainly fanned the flames, in fact, most European countries still advocated that Russia and Ukraine negotiate to solve the problem, but the position of the United States and Britain prevailed, and there were more Russophobic countries and more emotions, so the United States and Europe continued to pour aid to Ukraine, and the Russian-Ukrainian war became a protracted war.
Macron and Putin
Before the Russia-Ukraine war, France should have had the best relations with Russia. Many French companies have invested heavily in Russia, and even after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, individual French companies still go their own way, and also hope to maintain cooperative relations with Russia, such as: EDF cooperates with Rosatom to develop civil nuclear power projects, and also hopes to obtain exemptions from US sanctions against Russia.
What is even more serious is that some French defense industry enterprises are also being criticized by "collusion with Russia." This is mainly due to the fact that Ukraine has identified Catherine thermal imagers from the French company Thales from captured Russian T-72B3 tanks.
In addition, according to a classified document from 2016, France's exports of thermal imaging cameras to Russia were worth more than $100 million that year, and they were not suspended after the 2014 Donbas crisis in Ukraine. Moreover, French companies also provide avionics instruments including navigation, cockpit displays, and helmet displays for Russian Su-30, MiG-29 and other fighters.
Putin with Orban
As for Hungary and Slovakia, the main reason for the pro-Russian pro-Russian party in these two small countries is that the ruling party is pro-Russian, and the two countries have very close economic and trade relations with Russia, especially in the energy sector. Previously, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had repeatedly voiced the opposite tone of aid to Ukraine at the EU and NATO conferences, but in the end, because of the shadow, it did not prevent the passage of aid to Ukraine.
In fact, most European countries are not anti-Russian like the United States and Britain, but are Russophobic and afraid that Russia will once again pursue great-power chauvinism like Tsarist Russia or the Soviet Union in history.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Zelensky
Objectively speaking, the so-called pro-Russian faction should be a more objective and pragmatic stance that advocates a middle line toward Russia. Because these three countries are already members of the European Union and NATO, no matter how pro-Russian they are, it is for the sake of national interests; Russophobes proceed more from historical episodes. In contrast, Britain is the only anti-Russian faction in Europe, but Britain has long since left the European Union, and it can be said that there are only pro-Russian and Russophobic factions in the EU, and there are no anti-Russian factions.
What is the impact of the European awakening on China?
In any case, the longer the war between Russia and Ukraine becomes a protracted war, the lower the anti-Russian power in European countries, mainly because it is difficult for some small countries to survive in a geopolitical environment of security and economic turmoil. Just imagine, your neighbors are fighting, and your house is small, there is no "strategic depth" at all, how else can you live quietly?
Therefore, we expect that if the Russian-Ukrainian war continues for another two years, that is, by 2026, more countries in Europe will oppose the United States and the West to continue to support Ukraine in the war, and then it may really reach a node of European awakening.
European Commission building
But it also needs to be admitted that there are signs of a European awakening, and not just the pro-Russian tendencies of France, Hungary and Slovakia. From some details of the official meeting between Chinese and French leaders, Macron even called European Commission President von der Leyen to talk together, which shows that European leaders attach great importance to China's influence.
To be honest, it is neither the Russians, nor the Ukrainians, nor the Americans who are most worried about the prospects of the Russian-Ukrainian war now, but the Europeans (excluding the British). This is because Russia has lost, the United States will definitely have more influence in Ukraine and Eastern Europe, and the EU will definitely have no say.
Ukrainian battlefield
And if Russia wins, the United States and the West lose. Then the security situation on Europe's eastern borders will deteriorate rapidly, refugees will flock to the richer Western Europe, Europe's security and economic and trade environment will fall off a cliff, European countries will have to spend a lot of money on security and defense, then the euro will depreciate sharply again, and the cost of living for Europeans will be higher.
Therefore, Europeans are most interested in ending the Russian-Ukrainian war as soon as possible. Although Macron has just said tough words, saying that he may send troops to Ukraine, this is actually a de-escalation attitude, not an escalation attitude, which means that France wants to send troops and establish a buffer zone for belligerents, at least temporarily suspend the war.
The wreck of a Ukrainian speedboat
Clearly, China sees an embarrassing situation in Europe, and China is also facing strategic containment by the United States, which provides an opportunity for the EU and China to come together. At the strategic level, China can coordinate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine to help Europe achieve border security; Europe can also help China hedge against some of the U.S. strategic encirclement, which is mutually beneficial.
At the economic and trade level, high-tech goods exported by Europe can completely replace some American goods and use them for our use; And China's cheap goods can also reach Europe through the Belt and Road Initiative, making the cost of living lower for Europeans.
Putin was re-elected as president of Russia, and the Russian-Ukrainian war will continue for a long time, which allows us to see the split situation in Europe on the position of Russia. As a responsible major country, China should join hands with Europe to solve the problems it encounters in its international strategy and economic and trade development.
In short, Europe has woken up and is inseparable from China's future development.
Part of the information in the article: China, France and the European Union re-meet to release important information China News Network