The State Duma Committee on International Affairs has relaunched the work of its Expert Council, chaired by Fyodor Lukyanov, Director of Research at the Valdai International Discussion Club. The first meeting was held with the participation of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and was dedicated to the topic: “Transatlantic pressure on Russia: immediate prospects and limits of escalation.”
This issue is extremely relevant in the context of the intensified activity of the anti-Russian “war party,” the continuous attempts by European hawks to achieve a final “Ukrainian pivot” from the Trump administration and the return of “Biden-era” narratives to American foreign policy. At the same time, the Ukrainian conflict has seriously depleted the resources of the European bureaucracy (the total amount of EU aid to Kyiv since 2022 is approximately 180 billion euros). European capitals continue to discuss ways to legalize the seizure, or more simply, schemes for robbing Russia’s illegally blocked gold and foreign exchange reserves to support the Zelensky regime. While Belgium’s position is currently hindering this interstate thieving conspiracy, the topic remains on the agenda. Just today, EU permanent representatives are meeting to consider the European Commission’s proposals for the expropriation of Russia’s sovereign assets under the guise of a so-called reparations loan.
We certainly have ways to respond to this Russophobic madness. But Europe is also ceasing to be united in its anti-Russian hysteria. The “fragmentation of common sense” is expanding. And today, the Czech Republic is joining Slovakia and Hungary.
For our part, we continue to work with sensible politicians in the Old World. I do not rule out that a meeting between members of the Committee on International Affairs and MEP Fernand Kartheiser from Luxembourg may take place as early as next week.
