Russia provokes. This is how Europe has got into the trap of Putin [OPINIA]
When the most powerful Western politicians sound like teachers trying to alleviate the quarrel in the classroom A bad sign for the safety of Europe.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte demanded from the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin: “Stop violating the airspace of allies!” The chairwoman of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stated that “she would protect every centimeter of European borders.” One could argue that NATO and the EU did well and rightly, not adding oil to the fire, keeping calm, consulting and not taking hasty actions.
The only problem is that Putin knows from experience that Europe reacts this way. And that he uses it to escalate the situation more and more. On Friday, according to Estonian information, Russian fighters stayed in the airspace of the small country of NATO and the EU for 12 minutes before the alliance aircraft escorted them outside its borders. It tempts to add “politely”.
Critics point to 2015, when the Turkish fighter tuned a Russian bomber, which despite repeated warnings violated the Turkish airspace. But 2025 is not 2015. The shooting of the aircraft over Estonia could have caused a dramatic chain reaction.
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Europe has missed the moment
Europe has got into this trap itself. While Putin escalated the war in Ukraine, Each support for Kiev was first checked carefully at an angle of whether it could not provoke the Russian leader. However, recent years have shown that “Putin never escalates when we help Ukraine. He escalates when we do not help enough”, as he aptly sums up Lithuanian Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
It is now easy to point to the US President Donald Trump and accuse him that he does not stop Putin.
However, the truth is that Europe missed the moment when it could Arm Ukraine and exacerbate sanctions against Putin So that he has no choice but to stop provocation and think about the end of the war. Now, however, the Bloomberg Information Agency, citing his surroundings, reports that the Russian leader has come to the conclusion that military escalation is the best way for Russia to force Ukraine to negotiate peaceful negotiations on Putin's terms.
Europe and NATO have no other choice but to balance on a thin line between deterrence and deester. And ultimately Ukraine can save us. Kyiv suggested that he would share his specialist knowledge in the field of drone defense with allies. It is very possible that we will need it soon.
Another provocation
“Three Russian MiG-31 fighters entered the Estonian airspace. NATO fighters responded and Russian aircraft were forced to escape. Such a violation is completely unacceptable. The Estonia government decided to apply to NATO for consultation under Article 4”-said Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal.
Just a few hours later, two Russian combat aircraft Russian fighters made a low flight over the Petrobaltic drilling platform in the Baltic Sea. “The Platform's safety zone was violated. The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland and other services were informed,” the border guard said on Friday.
Donald Trump reacted at night. He told journalists: “I don't like it.” “I don't like it when something like this happens. This can cause serious trouble” – he added.
