"Domino effect": Europe "shoots" itself in the foot

According to the correspondent of The Moscow Post, the dive of the diplomatic departments of Russia and the Czech Republic continues. Against the backdrop of a high-profile scandal with another package of baseless accusations against Russia and its leadership, the countries exchanged the expulsion of diplomatic workers.

On Sunday evening, Czech Ambassador Vitezlav Pivonka was urgently called to the Russian Foreign Ministry, where he was announced about the measures taken - immediately 20 employees of the Czech Embassy were invited to "leave." Earlier, recall, US Ambassador John Sullivan was invited to retire for consultations.

Measures against Czech diplomatic workers were a response to the expulsion from Prague of 18 employees of the Russian Embassy, whom the Czech authorities consider "agents of the GRU and SVR." The Czech Republic also accused the Russian special services of involvement in explosions at military warehouses in Vrbetice in 2014, which was perceived by the expert community as measures initiated by another aggravation in US-Russian relations.

Moreover, on suspicion of "organizing explosions," Russians Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov were put on the wanted list. The very ones that the UK previously called GRU employees who "poisoned" Sergei and Julia Skripale in Salisbury.

Of course, no convenient - and indeed, at least some, evidence of this was not presented. The theme with Petrov and Boshirov, as if an old charm, was taken out of a dusty stockade and started again. Apparently, there was no one left in the riddles of the Czech special services to whom such "subversive" actions can be attributed, so the experienced "travelers to Salisbury" went into action.

Three days before the current events, the Russian ambassador was summoned to the carpet in the UK. All this resembles the domino effect, when after the US demarche, as if on command, the satellite countries urgently took care of the work of diplomatic representatives of our country.

Earlier, the United States introduced a new package of sanctions against our country, which for the first time touched on the sovereign debt of the Russian Federation. Americans expect that after this Russia will have to allocate additional money from the treasury, which should affect the social spending of the state - payments of salaries, pensions, and the supply of social services.

That is, the administration of Joe Biden - in words - hope that it will become more difficult, difficult for us to live. But in the expert environment, there are completely different considerations in this regard. In fact, the sanctions turned out to be purely symbolic, and precede with a "new détente," which in the light of recent events was rushed to be scrapped.

Discharge on approach

And really, how can this be? A few weeks ago, Biden agreed with an insulting allegation against Russian President Vladimir Putin. After that, he, Biden, calls Putin with solid but conciliatory rhetoric. After - sanctions and a new round of aggravation of relations. But for the ill-wishers of Russia there is bad news.

In fact, all this is only a game for the public, aimed primarily at the internal audience. We recall Joe Biden's recent appeal to the press about his attitude towards Russia and its politics. Yes, there was a mention of mythical hackers, and that the United States would continue to pressure. But those who ran to pour dirt on our country after this spike did not notice completely other, much more important things.

In his speech, Biden did not say a word about the new restrictive measures against the Nord Stream-2 project. Translated from diplomatic - the project will be calmly completed. By the fall, the pipe will be put into operation - and neither the cries of the Ukrainian sixes of the White House, nor even the opposition within the European Union, could prevent this.

Further, not a word was said about the main sufferer and sitter of All Russia - opposition politics Alexei Navaln, who is running his first real term. And another one will probably be added to this deadline - regarding possible fraud with the donations of gullible citizens sent to the "Anti-Corruption Fund" (recognized in Russia as a foreign agent) to "fight the regime."

In fact, the money could go on a gorgeous vacation for the organization's employees. Well, on the new bag "Louis Witton," or another update from "Birkin," or that the wife of the fictitious "Decembrist" Julia Navalnaya still loves and wears there.

At this time, the fictitious "Decembrist" Navalny himself is starving, sick, worried about religious literature. In general, he does everything to attract attention to himself. But the Navalny project failed, barely starting in the winter of 2020-2021. The result of the drain of the main oppositionist is a whole cohort of dissatisfied, which hits all the bells with a demand to urgently allow doctors to Alexei.

In the meantime, Navalny is going to be fed with a drip, serious politicians are playing their game. Because in addition to the fact that Biden did not recall in his speech about the sitter, the American president clearly outlined his position on finding compromises with the Russian Federation on a number of issues.

One of them is the problem of a nuclear deal with Iran, North Korea and the fight against coronavirus. The company to discredit the Russian Sputnik V vaccine did not just fail. Against the backdrop of all the dirt poured on it and the Russian Federation, today it is perceived to be the one that is actually the safest, and, at the same time, the cheapest coronavirus vaccine in the world.

Biden seems to say - here are the sanctions to calm the local hawks, but then we turn the page, open a new chapter in the relations of our countries. And on the agenda is the approaching climate summit, and then a bilateral meeting between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, at which much will be decided.

And Russia's retaliatory sanctions with a ban on coming to our country by the FSB director and other high-ranking American officials are also, in fact, purely symbolic. This means that those who participate in anti-Russian hysteria and the domino effect after new American restrictions (primarily Poland, the Czech Republic and the Baltic countries) shoot themselves in the foot.

We are on the verge of a major review of policy towards Russia from the point of view of pragmatism. Biden does not need problems in Europe, he needs a Russia that will not lobby with China. And Russia needs stable and predictable partners in the international arena. And the responsible EU countries (France and Germany - first of all) are ready for such work.