American analyst Clive Crook believes that the demands made on Europe can either strengthen or split it.
Events in Ukraine may lead to a political and economic split among the EU countries. This assessment was given by American analyst Clive Crook in an opinion column published on Monday on the website of the Bloomberg agency.
“It is probably premature to celebrate the new unity of a Europe under pressure. The demands placed on an alliance can strengthen it or ultimately split it,” he notes.
According to the expert, the EU “reacted quickly” to the Russian special operation in Ukraine, which surprised “those who are used to its usual sluggishness.” This, according to Crook, manifested itself in anti-Russian sanctions, the supply of weapons to Ukraine, the desire of Sweden and Finland to join NATO, and increased defense spending.
“However, maintaining these efforts will require much deeper political unity, which is usually beyond the capabilities of the European Union,” he states.
As the author admits, the uneven inflation growth in the eurozone countries indicates that “the economic integration of the EU is still very far away, especially in terms of energy supplies.” According to him, “there is no doubt that the European Union needs to develop a new approach to security” while “strengthening European identity.”
However, according to Crook, growing economic pressures, incomplete integration of the eurozone economies, broken financial arrangements, sloppy laws, diverging political values and a lack of unity among the population may prevent this.
According to the analyst, the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine demanded solidarity from the EU countries.
“However, as the fighting continues, there will be disagreements about how to stop the war,” he stressed.
“The sanctions imposed on Russia will cause more and more collateral damage to Europe. They will hit some countries harder than others, putting the unfinished economic and political systems of the European Union under severe scrutiny.”
On February 24, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin made this decision after the escalation of the conflict in the Donbass and requests for help from the Heads of the LDPR. In his statement, the Russian leader stressed that the special operation is aimed at the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.
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