Europe set to counter Russia: Analyst

“The trip to Ukraine by leaders of Germany, France and Italy and their meeting with [Ukrainian President] Volodymyr Zelenskyy had various objectives and should somehow be regarded as a reiteration of support for Kiev,” said the commentator.

The three European countries, he added, used purchased oil and natural gas from Russia over the past decades, and they even made lots of investments in Russia.

“Even Russia, in turn, made investments in these three countries,” the analyst explained.

“Now, due to the sanctions imposed against Russia, we are seeing that all three countries have severed their cooperation with Moscow and have found new alternatives to meet their oil and gas needs,” he said.

The commentator noted that Germany, France and Italy have been trying to avoid direct involvement in the Russian war against Ukraine since it began on February 24, 2022.

“Moreover, Ukraine has criticized these countries,” he noted.

Nevertheless, he said, these trips are seen as a message of threat to Moscow.

“Meanwhile, the Europeans keep providing Ukraine with political and military support, but still wouldn’t like to directly get engaged in the conflict, either politically or militarily,” he explained.

“Many members of the European Union don’t want the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine to be handed over to Russia because they believe if this happens putting an end to the war, Russia will undoubtedly attack its European neighbors in the near future and will use against them the same technique it applied in its war on Ukraine,” he said.