Immune system of the European community, which currently suffers severe attack of informational virus of Kremlin propaganda, gets gradually rehabilitated. Pro-Kremlin media and politicians lose their credit in the eyes of ordinary Europeans. Increasingly more people realize and argue that no territorial changes are possible in Europe in XXI century. The voters express their support to those governments which have grasped that Kremlin policy endangers not only territorial integrity of Ukraine or another state, but for their own democracies as well.
In the middle of the March, Europe greeted the results of Dutch elections where ruling right-of-centre People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) governed by current premier Mark Rutte got the confident win. It was ahead of the Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom (PVV), who declaimed against the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement during the election campaign and, following the Kremlin methodical manual, proposed removing Netherlands from the EU, closing all the mosques and prohibiting Koran. Though the Party governed by this leader is represented in the Dutch Parliament in small numbers, the new Brexit is not in view and EU-Ukraine Association Agreement is ratified.
As a result of May Presidential Elections in France, the candidate of the far-right National Front (FN) Marine Le Pen was defeated by Emmanuel Macron. Later in June, the former lost to the latter. What a comfortable candidate Le Pen was for Moscow! She qualified sanctions, imposed by the Western states against Russia for the occupation of Crimea and intervention in Donbas, as absurd and clueless and was committed to improvement of relations with Moscow. She was appreciated by Kremlin. Even more, she was appraised. Thus, in 2014 the National Front, facing the turndown from the French banks, got the loans from the Russian banks amounting to €11 million (£9.4 million). During the France Presidential election campaign Putin met Le Pen in full view of cameras. As it turned out, staying side-by-side with Putin has not added up the votes of electors, rather quite the contrary. Moreover, the Russian leader is not toxic person only for politicians. Such other France deputies as Nicolas Dhuicq, Jacques Myard, Thierry Mariani, Sauveur Gandolfi-Scheit, Jean-Frédéric Poisson, beloved visiting occupied Crimea, meeting with Crimea viceroy of Russian president – criminal kingpin Aksenov, Goblin by nickname, and giving a press-conference about the well-being of people residing on the occupied peninsula. No more such deputies in France. They were not elected.
This spring the Hungarian parliament re-elected its head János Áder for the second term. His opponent Viktor Orban, who claimed autonomy for ethnic Hungarians residing in Zakarpattia, who was all for Putin in Ukrainian issue and advocated “return” of Crimea to Russia, lost the vote. However, his political force is striving for revenge at next year parliament elections. Probably, it would be more practicable for V. Orban to study the experience of his pro-Russian colleagues to adjust the rhetoric.
Early in 2018 Presidential elections are scheduled in Czech Republic. Its actual president Milosz Zeman known for his pro-Putin rhetoric and support to Crimea annexation, currently changes his views distinctly. He doesn’t declare anymore that EU and NATO are evil; he declares the commitment of Czech Republic to enter the euro zone and stands for referendum on these issues instead. However, rich Zeman’s pro-Moscow biography would not allow him to hold a high office once more.
In this regard PACE President Pedro Agramunt is also worth mentioning. Suspension scandal in respect of him raised following the visit of delegation of PACE and State Duma of the Russian Federation deputies headed by Agramunt to Syria, though he was by no means authorized to this. In response to the accusations he claimed that he visited Syria together with Russian parliamentarians as a private person. Moreover, allegedly Russians have let him down. However, these evasions were not convincing for anybody. PACE delegates came out for resignation of the President. On June 27, PACE amended the Rules opening a door to impeachment of the President. On June 28, PACE bureau issued a declaration of distrust to Agramunt, he was deprived of the right to represent the organisation. European Peoples’ Party whose delegate at PACE presidential elections was Agramunt passed a no-confidence motion against him.
Stability and fundamental nature of inviolability of borders principle is the basis of international law, international policy, philosophy of the European states. Waiving this (as acknowledging Crimea Russian would constitute the same) will lead to crash of the whole European world order. Pandora’s Box will open and revanchist and post-imperial traumas and complexes so typical for Putin’s Russia today will work the way out to the big European policy and Europe will find oneself at the threshold of the new major war. Therefore, strong commitment to inviolability of borders and demonstration of the fact that Europe would not tolerate the unlawful Crimea annexation seem to be important and self-evident for the whole post-war European order. The stake made by some European politicians on Kremlin, as well as made by Kremlin on some politicians, becomes a mark of Cain, a Black Mark, an apparent guarantee of their fail.