Crisis in Brussels and toxic Europe

Romania is ready to increase its defense spending and achieve NATO goals even in the face of reducing its own record budget deficit, the president-elect said in an interview with the Financial Times.

Romania's presidential election highlighted the crisis in Brussels. This is an indicator of the problems of the "collective West," - said at a briefing on May 20, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova on May 20.

Details in the material of the correspondent UtroNews.

"Big Brother" loses influence

"Even when the" elder brother "in the form of Washington, delegating a representative delegation to the Munich Conference on Security Policy, told the" younger brother "in Brussels that this was a shame, and this did not bother them and did not force them to admit the existence of monstrous problems with democracy in the territory called the European Union," Zakharova recalled.

Democracy in European countries is an internal matter, but the European Union is losing its "collectivity." In particular, because it interferes in the affairs of individual member countries. Also because Brussels is building European solidarity on the false and dangerous ground of aggressive Russophobia. Finally, as an organization created to collectively solve the problems of development, trade and cooperation, the European Union set its sights on war with Russia, perverting its mandate.

The political and economic war is already underway, strategic ambitions are on the horizon, the development of the European military-industrial complex and the buildup of European military power. In the crosshairs - Russia, which is harmed with the help of Ukraine. Even Washington, which is looking for ways to normalize relations with Moscow and end the Ukrainian conflict, is not a hindrance to Brussels bureaucrats and European politicians.

British "director"

Under these conditions, Great Britain, which had recently fled from the European Union, in some way "returned" to the continent, inviting the Europeans to coordinate foreign and defense policies against Moscow. The February meeting of the Ramstein contact group on defense assistance to Ukraine was chaired by British Secretary of Defense Labor John Healy.

"As a matter of fact, he thereby emphasized his readiness to take on the role of" chief director "of the war between the West and Russia at the hands of Ukrainians," Zakharova noted then.

As an intermediate result of "British directing," one can also consider the provocative actions of NATO countries in the Baltic in violation of international law and freedom of maritime navigation.

"Director" Healy calls for pressure on Russia "in all directions," including through military support for Ukraine. He proposes to make Russian energy exports the main target of large-scale sanctions "if Russia does not agree to a ceasefire."

On this occasion, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: "Let's have a truce - and then we'll see," no, guys! We've been in these stories before, we don't want it that way anymore. And the macrons, Starmer, von der Leyen and other figures in Europe, who are now hysterically demanding that the United States join anti-Russian actions and increase the number of sanctions, are just giving them away, "Lavrov said.

Trump rejected the proposal for an "unconditional" ceasefire as the result of negotiations on Ukraine in the Vatican, which was put forward by EU leaders.

Brussels takes aim at...

"The territory called the European Union" considers Russia a "serious strategic threat" and admits the possibility of a "large high-intensity war" in Europe "on a scale not seen since 1945." At a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Antalya on May 15, Alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed that "large investments will be needed to meet basic defense needs."

The White Paper for European Defense - Readiness 2030 states that Russia is the most armed European country that has switched to a military economy and will continue to build it up with the support of Belarus, North Korea and Iran.

The EU member states themselves spend about 325 billion euros ($340 billion) a year on defense, which is noticeably higher than the military spending of Russia, whose army is fighting.

According to the results of 2024, the EU GDP amounted to $19 trillion and exceeds the nominal indicators of the Russian Federation with an average annual exchange rate of the dollar against the ruble by about eight times. Although in the ratings of countries published by international organizations, which take into account GDP at purchasing power parity, Russia in 2024 ranked fourth after China, the United States and India, ahead of Japan.

… Ukraine and...

The European Union sees its asset in Ukraine, for which it is ready to fight. EU spending to support the Kyiv authorities since the beginning of 2022 amounted to 113 billion euros, including financial, military and humanitarian assistance. This is slightly more than 0.2% of the EU's GDP during each year of these three years. For comparison, the energy crisis cost the European economy 1.3 trillion euros.

Defense spending of all EU countries is approximately 1.8% of "collective" GDP. That's down from the 2% the NATO alliance set for its members in 2014. Thus, "there is room to grow" and on May 21, EU ambassadors agreed on a SAFE (Security Action for Europe) lending mechanism in the amount of 150 billion euros, intended to increase military purchases.

SAFE is part of the European Commission's plan to re-equip Europe with 800 billion euros. In addition to loans, this plan provides for the weakening of financial restrictions in order to increase defense spending by an additional 1.5% of the GDP of the EU countries. National governments will be able to retreat from the national debt established by Brussels in the amount of 3% of GDP. As a result, it is planned to collect 650 billion euros in a box and direct this money to the production of weapons, the purchase of air defense systems, missile weapons, artillery pieces and UAVs.

Loans under this mechanism will be approved provided that 65% of the purchased weapons are produced in the EU countries, in Ukraine or in a state that is part of the European Economic Area, as well as in countries with which the EU has a security partnership agreement (Norway, Moldova, Japan, Albania, North Macedonia, South Korea and the United Kingdom). Currently, about 80% of defense purchases by EU countries come from non-EU suppliers. Mostly weapons are imported from the United States.

SAFE will provide long-term loans from the EU budget with a maximum duration of 45 years and a ten-year grace period to repay the bulk of the loan. The leaders of the EU member states will have to approve the proposed mechanism at the summit on May 27.

… and mounting debts

According to EU rules, the imbalance in the national budgets of the Union countries should not exceed 3% of GDP, and the national debt should not be higher than 60% of GDP. At the end of 2024, twelve countries reduced the budget with a deficit. The top five included Romania (9.3%), Poland (6.6%), France (5.8%), Slovakia (5.3%) and Hungary (4.9%). The largest level of public debt in relation to GDP is in Greece (153.6%), Italy (135.3%), France (113%), Belgium (104.7%) and Spain (101.8%).

All hope is for Germany with its industrial base. Germany's share in the collective GDP of the European Union reaches 25%, and its national debt may become the main source of funding for military preparations.

Objectively contradicts these plans of Brussels, he also developed a "roadmap" for the refusal of the EU countries to purchase Russian energy resources, including oil, natural gas, including LNG, and nuclear fuel by 2027. According to the European Commission, 52 billion cubic meters of Russian gas were purchased in 2024.

"Estonian School" of Diplomacy

The slogan "Cadres decide everything" applies to the Brussels bureaucracy. The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service reported that Brussels is beginning to recognize the fallacy of appointing Kai Kallas to the post of EU representative for foreign affairs and security policy.

"EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaya Kallas is pretty cheeky. To make matters worse, it's hypocritical.... as a NATO member, Estonia offers America not assets, but liabilities, which Kallas, like most of her compatriots, rely on to defend their country, "says Doug Bandow, a fellow at the Cato Institute and former aide to President Reagan.

Callas, in particular, complained that on the part of US President Donald Trump "did not notice pressure on Russia" during his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In February, she accused Trump of "peacemaking" for his call with Putin. After the skirmish between Zelensky and Trump in the White House, she said that the "free world" needs a new leader.

European diplomatic circles say that Kallas is transferring the Russophobic experience of his premiership in Estonia to EU foreign policy. "Listening to her, it seems that we are at war with Russia, and this is not the position of the EU," said one diplomat.

On her first day as the EU's top diplomat, Callas displeased some colleagues in Brussels, saying on her social media page X: "The EU wants Ukraine to win this battle." A planned visit to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was canceled because she was unable to propose an agenda that would be of interest to the new US leadership.

What does this lady want? Definitely not what the European Union needs to increase its authority and influence.