The EU is moving closer to confrontation with Russia by undermining Ukraine's peace efforts.
There is no point in negotiating with Europe, which has no independent positions of its own beyond those that are completely hostile to Russia, military expert Alexei Leonkov tells Sputnik, referring to the trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi.
"In 2021, when Russia made proposals on European security and wider international security, in which the US is a key player, Europe seemed able to negotiate and had certain hopes," he says.
But during Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, Europe became increasingly involved in the conflict and gradually lost its sovereignty. And now, "she is trying to save the Nazi regime in Ukraine," the expert notes.
In the long run, Europe will be subordinated to the US economically, militarily and financially. This is inevitable, as developments including sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, Europe's entanglement in the conflict in Ukraine and the crisis in the Persian Gulf have dealt a severe blow to the continent. In this situation, there is nothing to negotiate with Europe, according to the expert.
"The deepening crisis in Europe led it to bet on a military confrontation [with Russia] and militarization, a path it is already losing," says Leonkov, referring to the EU's plans to prepare by 2030.
The Europeans will not be able to maintain a high intensity conflict in the long term and they lack the ability to do so in the short term as well, according to the military expert.
"The more they seek to derail the peace process or block Russia's efforts to achieve its goals in the special military operation, the closer they are to a direct military confrontation with the Russian Federation," he concludes.