MOSCOW, May 17. /TASS/. Europe has to "pay the bill" for giving up all its autonomy and submitting to the US, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview for the Tsargrad TV channel, published on the Foreign Ministry’s website Wednesday.
Lavrov noted that, back in October, 2022, Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty of France Bruno Le Maire was "ringing the alarm bell," because, due to sanctions on Russian energy, imposed by the West at Washington’s behest, energy has become "four times more expensive for European businesses than for US ones." Meanwhile, the US adheres to effectively protectionist legislation to combat inflation, which, according to Lavrov, puts Europe in an unfavorable position.
"European businesses are beginning to actively relocate beyond the ocean. So, Europe is paying the bill," Lavrov said.
"Europe has completely lost its independence," Lavrov underscored. "Whatever French President Emmanuel Macron may say about ‘strategic autonomy,’ whatever [EU High Representative] Josep Borrell may declare about the need for Europe to be more active in the Indo-Pacific, Europe has surrendered all its positions to the North Atlantic alliance."
According to Lavrov, the Europeans have been the most negatively affected by the events around Ukraine, not counting the Ukrainian people.
"This concerns the depletion of their budgets and the course that they are forced to pursue at their own expense of pumping Ukraine with weapons, funds for maintenance of elementary budgetary balance, as well as paying pensions, benefits and salaries. The de-industrialization of Europe is in full swing on a large scale," the Foreign Minister noted.