The last few weeks that word again in Vogue in the countries of Central Europe. In the minds and words. “Yalta!” In 1945 at the Crimean resort Russians and Americans divided the world.
There was drawn the boundaries of influence between Washington and Moscow with the division of Europe into two blocs.
In Warsaw, Vilnius and Tallinn, which until 1989 was behind the iron curtain, today there is fear of a new Yalta. And not without reason. Unusual friendly tone of the President of the United States with respect to the Kremlin is there fear about a new contract behind them. This primarily refers to the Baltic States, where the annexation of the Crimea was seen as the prelude to a new political expansion of Moscow.
“Outdated” NATO
If these fears cause? So far so good. Of course, Donald trump, and Vladimir Putin can quickly fall out, however, bringing balance to the statement of the American leader about NATO to create the impression that protective umbrella was closed. Article 5 of the NATO agreement, which obliges member States to conduct a military intervention in case of aggression against one of the allies, became extremely weak deterrent. And that Washington is going to withdraw from Moscow sanctions, which were imposed after the annexation of Crimea.
But if that’s the goal of the United States? Trump wants to see European countries contributed, there is nothing unusual. Only that’s what he means when he describes the Alliance obsolete? Whether it concerns the modernization of the organization in the face of new threats, particularly cyber security? Or its reasons for existence? Us anything on this score is not known and this uncertainty is unsettling. Because Putin’s strategy remained unchanged.
The EU is in the grip
It fosters communication with some partners like Hungary, where he was recently a guest of his great friend Viktor Orban. Hungarian Prime Minister opposes anti-Russian sanctions and any collective measures in the field of refugee reception. He wants to achieve from Putin’s financing of its nuclear power plants, the closure of Newspapers, gag the judges and quietly sit in the European Council.
The EU is caught in a vise. On the one hand, trump is not hiding contempt and is considering the appointment of Ambassador to the EU of a man who quietly admits a desire to sabotage Europe. On the other hand, Putin is funding the European far-right (national front), uses hackers, the media and spies to undermine the foundations of the European Union.
There is no freedom in Putin’s agenda
During the cold war, everything was clear. NATO had to contain the Soviet Union. Both units were more or less sealed. Today to deter Russia more difficult, because it turns liberal slogans and tools against the free countries. Only there is no freedom in Putin’s plans. As trump. They talk about freedom of peoples in order to hide their own violations of freedom of people.
Therefore, to save the freedom of the will Europeans. This is one of the most important issues in the French presidential campaign, let him almost not say. At the same time, many Europeans are closely watching the progress waiting for a clear signal counter the authoritarian impulses.
