Afrasianet - In an unprecedented acknowledgement, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell asserts that the EU supports Ukraine not out of love for the Ukrainian people, but because it is in the private interest of the West and Washington.
In an interview with CNN, he said: "We cannot allow Russia to win this war. Because the interests of the United States and Europe will be severely damaged. It's not generosity. And it's not about supporting Kiev because we love the Ukrainian people. It's because it's in our interest, and in the interest of the United States as a global player."
He had previously stressed that if Russia wins in Ukraine, "it will have serious consequences for America and for the system of alliances that exists around the United States and Europe," adding that in such a scenario, "no country can be sure" that the United States "will come to the aid of any ally" under attack.
However , figures, analysis and facts show that the West "miscalculated" and failed in its bet on subjugating Russia, hindering its rise and spread in its surroundings, the growth of its economy, and its running in presidential elections.
More than two years ago, the West decided to turn Ukraine into a battlefield with Russia militarily and politically, with the aim of encircling it, suffocating it, isolating it from its surroundings, and also, curbing its rise as an economically powerful country in the world.
But after more than two years, in which the West, with massive economic sanctions and inflammatory speeches and propaganda against Russia and its president, sought to support Kiev and break Moscow, the figures, analysis and facts show that the West "miscalculated" and failed in its bet on subjugating Russia, hindering its rise and spread in its surroundings, and the growth of its economy, and it fought presidential elections, after all the challenges the country faced in the past two years.
So how do you reveal the West's failure to challenge Russia politically and economically?
Throughout the two years of war, Russia has successfully defied attempts to isolate it internationally by strengthening its political and economic ties with its close partners, such as China, North Korea, Iran and Brazil. These countries have provided assistance to Moscow in various forms.
Russia has also been able to create and develop a strong network of relations in parts of Asia, Africa and South America, and also expand its presence in Africa and India, according to a report published by the New York Times.
Putin, in turn, spoke about the issue of Russian cooperation with the countries of the region and his vision in this context, saying that "cooperation between Russia and ASEAN countries is developing positively," stressing that "Moscow enjoys long-term good relations with Arab and African countries."
He also pointed out that "new countries are actively joining organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS," noting that "Moscow, in cooperation with friendly countries, will create effective logistical corridors and develop interaction on the basis of equality."
Today, it is clear that the narratives of Western leaders about Russia's isolation are far from reality, especially since many countries have refrained from siding with any side in great-power conflicts and opposed resolutions condemning Russia in international forums, such as UN sessions.
The Cold War historian at the Catholic University of America, who was also a State Department official in former President Barack Obama's administration, said that "Russia is by no means besieged," neither politically nor economically, and even spreading its message about the war.
Economically, Russia was able to counter attempts to blockade and impose sanctions on its oil, gas and companies, with its enormous supplies of oil and natural gas, which "strengthened its economic and political capacity as well," which enabled it to withstand the storm of the Western Province.
Russia's economy has repeatedly defied pessimistic forecasts over the past two years since the start of the war in Ukraine, as "the financial meltdown, which was widely expected in the spring of 2022, never happened," according to The Economist.
According to the Financial Times, "Moscow has survived efforts to isolate its economy by developing new trade ties with the Global South and increasing investment in domestic production."
Russia's wealth of natural resources has made it a trading partner so attractive to countries that depend too much on their energy, minerals, and food exports to give up.
According to the figures, trade with China rose 32 percent year-on-year in the first eight months of 2023 to $155 billion, while trade with India tripled in the first half of the same year to $33 billion, according to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.
There is also little evidence to suggest corporate distress: the closing rate of companies recently hit an 8-year low, with the Moscow Stock Exchange hoping to see more than 20 IPOs this year, up from nine last year.
Russia also appears to be still heading for a "soft landing," as inflation slows, the economy's performance is "in line with the pre-war trend," GDP in real terms grew by more than 3% last year, and unemployment remains at a record low.
Following these facts, confidence is growing among Moscow's elite that "Russia emerged relatively unscathed, despite fears that sanctions could lead to the collapse of the economy early in the war."
The International Monetary Fund has said that the Russian economy will grow by 2.6% in 2024, more than double the 1.1% GDP growth achieved last October.
So, two years after the Russian military operation in Ukraine, the Russian economy is on track to surpass American growth.
Russia's apparent resilience, despite its isolation from global markets and attempts to cut supply chains, has been a point of pride for Putin, who said last week that "the recovery phase for the Russian economy is over" after getting rid of unprecedented external pressures.
Since this does not satisfy the Atlanticians fighting Russia, hysterical delusion still grips their minds and pushes them to further attempts to harm Russia.
At the end of February, French President Macron declares that Paris will do its utmost to prevent Russia from "winning" the Ukrainian conflict. According to him, the leaders of Western countries discussed the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine, but no consensus was reached on this issue.
During his meeting with opposition leaders in early March, Macron stressed that France "has no borders and no red lines" in terms of helping Kiev.
Macron is leading the idea of sending NATO troops to Ukraine, knowing that these forces are already present, and in confirmation of this, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkor confirms the presence of military personnel from all NATO member countries in Ukraine.
"The truth is that every NATO member country has military personnel in Ukraine," the minister says in an interview with the Austrian newspaper Die Presse, adding: "We train Ukrainians in Britain, 1,500 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained here in Estonia, and a large number in Poland. The question is whether we can do the same in Ukraine to speed up the training process, because every journey across the border takes time, and in trying to justify Macron's statements he makes it clear that French President Emmanuel Macron's statements about sending troops to Ukraine "are mainly related to the field of training."
Macron also announces the formation of a "ninth alliance" to supply Ukraine with medium- and long-range missiles, and promises that Paris will do its utmost to prevent Russia "from winning this war."He said that sending Western troops to Ukraine should not be "ruled out".
French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Licornou says he is seriously considering sending orders to manufacturers in the arms sector to speed up production for the first time since the war in Ukraine began.
The pressure the minister is trying to exert is a concrete step following President Emmanuel Macron's June 2022 statements in support of Kiev, which he called a "war economy".
For his part, former Foreign Ministry adviser Manaf Kilani believes that this path is a "political declaration to cover the army's nudity" because the country does not have the necessary means for its armies, especially in terms of military capability, such as the EMX jets destroyed by the Russians.
The reason behind the poor performance and efficiency of French weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine is that they are "outdated and ineffective because they have been adapted exclusively for the colonial campaigns they have carried out since the sixties until now," according to the same spokesman.
Kilani also described the minister's statements as "false, misleading and detached from reality", pointing out that the military profession in France no longer attracts citizens after a number of officers resigned and the army is finding it difficult to recruit new members.
The United States of America, of course, stands behind all these moves through its followers, the Europeans in particular, who have turned as if they are running American colonies that do not have any decision and are governed by American instructions.
The latest US move, according to the Moldovan Ministry of Defense, is the launch of the GCET-2024 exercise with the participation of special forces from Moldova, Romania and the United States.
The country's constitution states that Moldova is a neutral country, but since 1994 it has been cooperating with NATO under an association agreement.
With the Labour and Solidarity Party, unofficially led by President Maia Sandhu, in power, Moldova is holding exercises with military personnel from the United States, Britain, Germany and Romania.
On the other hand, Russian Senator Alexei Pushkov reiterates the conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, reminding him that the fall of Napoleon began after his invasion of Russia."
Pushkov writes on Telegram: Is Emmanuel Macron even informed about historical events? Or did history for him begin after his arrival at the Elysee Palace? Perhaps we should remind him that the fall of Napoleon began with the entry of his army of 530-550 thousand troops into Russia in 1812.
Pushkov points out that almost the entire Napoleonic army was destroyed, and the Berezina River, on whose banks the enemy suffered heavy losses, is mentioned in French history as the embodiment of the disaster suffered by Napoleon's army.
The senator also noted that exactly 210 years ago, on March 31, 1814, the reckless adventures of France when it waged war against Russia led to the fall of Paris.
At the time, according to Pushkov, the majority of the Allied army were Russians (63,000 troops). On April 6, 1814, Napoleon was forced to abdicate.
One historian says that Russia knows nothing but victory, recalling that Russia has gone to the end in its war against Napoleon as well as against Hitler and the Nazis whose lookalikes are fighting Russia today. Such is history.
In conclusion, the hopes of the West, led by the United States, to isolate Russia have not been fulfilled, and so far, they have not accepted their disappointment that their restrictive measures have largely failed, and they have not "fully taken this reality into account," according to some Russian experts.
Russia's experience in confronting the fiercest types of attempts at political and economic isolation, if anything, indicates the failure of the weapon of sanctions to pressure countries and force them to comply according to what the United States and its allies want, and has shown a new model for the world in ways to circumvent such sanctions, and fight the West's abolitionist policies, added to the Iranian and Chinese model, and heralds the establishment of a global power outside the authority of the Western economy and the effects of its prolonged sanctions.