Neighbourhood policy

‘How Russia has divided Eastern Europe’

Published on 30 June 2014 at 19:37

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The crisis in Ukraine and Russia's tendency to use natural gas as a political weapon have created unprecedented divisions between former communist countries, writes România liberă. “The firm attitude with regard to the annexation of Crimea and the Gazprom offensive, adopted by frontline countries like Poland, Romania and the Baltic States, has not been matched in other countries like Hungary”, where “Prime Minister Viktor Orbán performed a U-turn" that saw him set aside his opposition to Russia's actions to become a ‘pragmatic’ supporter of Moscow.
"Others, like the Czech Republic, have opted for an ambivalent position to keep both Brussels and Moscow happy, while states like Bulgaria, have become enthusiastic supporters of Vladimir Putin's Russia.”
For the Bucharest daily, the existence of such divisions in Europe is “surprising”, especially when you consider that —

… past experience of communism and Soviet domination should have provided the basis for a common position on Russian aggression in Ukraine and Russia's use of the energy weapon against Europe.

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