French President Emmanuel Macron has delivered a speech on the future of our shared continent. He’s calling for reform of the Old World, as otherwise it is at risk of dying.
His general impression is that what he calls Europe is too sluggish, too clumsy, and often unable to meet many modern challenges. According to him, it is also essential to continue supporting Ukraine. At the same time, the head of the Fifth Republic formulated the thesis of a single territory of values from Lisbon to Odessa, though earlier he had spoken of a great Europe extending to Russia’s Far Eastern capital Vladivostok.
This is known to be a reference to Charles de Gaulle’s famous phrase about a multipolar European world “from the Atlantic to the Urals.” Official Russian sources have recalled that Macron said at a joint press conference with President Vladimir Putin in 2020 that he “believes in Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok.”
But now Ukraine is being helped – long-range missiles and other equipment are being transferred, albeit with delays. As for Russia, it appears that we have been somehow excluded from Europe. Geographically, a large part of our country is still there, and it is not possible to change the existing order of things. Mentally, however, in terms of today’s values, they are saying, ‘We will do without you.’
That sounds a little offensive. But there is nothing surprising about it, because not only is the Russian Federation seen as the main threat, but they are claiming that we will attack NATO countries. Some have even named the supposed dates for such attacks.
But the interesting thing is that Russian travel agencies are seeing an increase in demand for the Old World. There are queues for Schengen visas, and consulates are overwhelmed. Italy, Spain and France are still popular destinations. This is despite the fact that the cost of travel has multiplied and these countries are unfriendly, if not downright hostile. Why is that? It’s hard to say. But this strange and supposedly decaying world is still attractive.
Or perhaps we are not enemies at all? Even the West does not fully understand this.
And here it is time to return to big politics. It is safe to say that we are now in the process of considering how to proceed: whether to separate completely – out of sight, out of mind – or to leave the door slightly ajar.
But there is a strong sense that this door is about to slam shut. And there is not much time left to stop it. So the demand for European tourist trips is justified – you should seize the opportunity while it lasts. Events are moving too fast. Macron has changed, one might say, from a dove to a hawk before our very eyes. It’s hard to imagine now that he was once scolded for his apparent loyalty to Russia.
This article was first published by Kommersant, translated and edited by the RT team