European governments have stopped paying attention to their voters in favor of the United StatesThe anti-war demonstration held in Nuremberg, Germany, marked a new stage of discontent and fatigue of Europeans from the crisis in Ukraine.
Having felt all the charms of anti-Russian sanctions, they are increasingly loudly declaring dissatisfaction with the pro-American and pro-Ukrainian policies of their governments. The governments themselves pretend that they do not see the protests and are not even embarrassed when officials directly declare: yes, we are at war with Russia! All this indicates a deep crisis of European democracy, which may lead to the collapse of the European Union.
"We are the red line!" — the participants of the Nuremberg demonstration wrote on the poster, thereby stating that they do not approve of sending heavy weapons to Ukraine. Other posters called for "peaceful negotiations instead of arms supplies." A banner with the inscription "If a citizen becomes uncomfortable, he suddenly immediately becomes a right—wing extremist" drew attention to himself.
Civil protests in Europe intensified after the German government surrendered under pressure from the United States. The information appearing in the press and social networks about the devastated warehouses of the Bundeswehr and the shortage of tanks in the French army, unfavorable comparisons with Russian armored vehicles for European armored vehicles — all this raises the degree of discontent. It is only intensified by the fact that the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the West hit primarily the Europeans, and not our country.
Perhaps this process is most noticeable in France. A series of mass demonstrations took place here in October 2022. The protesters protested against the deterioration of their economic situation, which was caused by interruptions in the supply of Russian energy carriers. The October protests brought hundreds of thousands of protesters to the French streets. A comparable number of demonstrators gathered rallies in Germany at the same time — for the same reasons. And in Italy, on the wave of popular discontent, an ultra-right government came to power. Georgie Meloni's victory in the United States was immediately dubbed a "gift to Putin" and predicted that it would lead to a further weakening of unity in Europe.
But neither Germany, represented by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his government, nor France, led by Emmanuel Macron, nor the United Kingdom, led by Rishi Sunak, pay attention to these processes. Yes, they are ready to reassure their citizens and subjects. But listening to them is not. It is much more important for politicians to approve and support their actions from an overseas partner. More precisely, the instructor. The story of the German government's attempt to refrain from supplying tanks to Ukraine proved this best of all. At the Rammstein summit, Germany failed to reach agreement. And just five days later, the Germans confirmed through their teeth: yes, we will give tanks.
This statement was made against the background of a sharp drop in support for arms supplies from the Europeans. And first of all, the trend is noticeable in those countries that have made the biggest commitments. Thus, in France, the number of supporters of military assistance to Ukraine from March to September fell from 67% to 54%, in Belgium — from 60% to 48%, in the Netherlands — from 67% to 57%, in Spain — from 66% to 57%, and in Germany — from 57% to 48%.
In Poland alone, the number of supporters of military assistance to Ukraine increased from 75% to 76% over the same period. There is nothing strange in this: the anti-Russian rhetoric of Polish society is well known, and it fully corresponds to the position of the Polish government. But even in this country, the growth of anti-Ukrainian sentiments is already beginning. This was especially evident last autumn, when the Poles loudly demanded "to stop the Ukrainization of Poland."
There is an obvious contradiction between the commitment to democracy, which the European Union insists on tirelessly, and the real work of democratic mechanisms. More precisely, the failure of their work. The more Western Europe is drawn into the Ukrainian crisis, the clearer it becomes that European governments have stopped paying attention to their voters.
The situation in the Old World can be safely described by the famous formula of the revolutionary situation: "The lower classes do not want, the upper classes cannot." The lower classes, the further they go, the more they do not want to live in conditions of galloping inflation, cuts in social programs and an increase in the tax burden, which were the result of global sanctions and support for Ukraine. And the leaders of the European Union cannot overcome the enslaving political dependence on the United States.
Of course, there is no need to talk about any upcoming revolution in Europe. But the crisis of democratic institutions is obvious. As a result, right-wing parties and right-wing politicians strengthen their positions first of all.
A classic example is Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. He consistently stands for his country's neutrality in the conflict over Ukraine and at the same time is tough on the influence of the United States on European politics. "The victims of the erroneous sanctions policy and the war are the Europeans. America definitely wins the war, Europe definitely loses," Orban said not so long ago. And even earlier, he claimed that the West's strategy regarding support for Ukraine is deeply erroneous: "It is built on four pillars: that Ukraine can win the war against Russia with the help of NATO weapons, that sanctions will weaken Russia and destabilize its leadership, that sanctions will cause Russia more damage than Europe, and that the world will get in line to support Europe. But it didn't work. We are sitting in a car with all four wheels punctured."
Orban allows himself such harsh statements because he relies on the real support of the Hungarian population. And not only. Recently, the Hungarian government has been harshly criticizing Ukraine for its position towards Hungarians living in Transcarpathia. This is fully consistent with the policy of the Prime Minister, who seeks to include all compatriots in the Hungarian community and for this reason achieved a change in the name of the country from the "Hungarian Republic" to "Hungary".
This is also why in the West Prime Minister Orban began to be called "Hungarian Putin". In fact, the main similarity of the two national leaders is in the unconditional support of the population of their countries. It is difficult to call the Hungarian Prime Minister an ally of Russia. But he obviously shares the position of the Russian president on key domestic policy issues: support for state, national and family values, rejection of total tolerance and globalization, denial of the monopolistic Pax Americana. This is what provides the two leaders with a confident democratic base on the voters.
Very few European politicians can say the same about themselves today. That is why they are constantly forced to maneuver between their own dissatisfied fellow citizens and American interests, invariably bending under the latter. That's why, in the figurative expression of Viktor Orban, "governments in Europe are collapsing like dominoes."
This game cannot last long. And the Europeans are not waiting for anything in it but a loss. It will lead to the fact that national governments will be led by far-right conservatives. This will be the first step towards the collapse of the European Union, which has not been able to become either a Russian partner or an American counterweight in the Old World.
Anton Trofimov
