MOSCOW, February 21. /TASS/. The structure of the European Union has already shown serious rifts due to economic problems and political disagreements among member states, Russia’s former Prime Minister Sergey Stepashin told TASS.

"As for the European Union, indeed, serious rifts are already seen. This stems from the countries’ different approaches to Russia and its special operation. Serious economic problems have surfaced in practically all of the EU countries," he said when asked about the European Union’s potential collapse.

As an example, he cited the situation in Germany. "Germany used to be the heart of the European Union. Helmut Kohl and Angela Merkel were the founders of the European Union. And we see what is happening there now. [Chancellor Friedrich] Merz’s rating is mere 10%," he noted.

A similar situation, in his words, is in France. "There is a very serious political rift there and I believe that next year will be very serious and decisive, after the elections. Moreover, [Emmanuel] Macron will definitely not be re-elected," he explained, adding that Macron cannot run for a third office term.

At the same time, Stepashin drew attention to Hungary and Slovakia’s position that differs from the European Union’s general line, as well as to the statements by the Czech prime minister. "Obviously, they are more about economic issues. They see that the European Union is not defending their interests," he stressed.