PARIS, September 02. /ITAR-TASS/. Europe is following an anti-Russian course under the pressure of well-orchestrated propaganda campaigns, the chairman of the State Duma’s international affairs committee Alexei Pushkov told ITAR-TASS, when asked about the results of the September 1 meeting State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin held with French businesses and public figures.
Pushkov said that the French government expressed the official attitude (towards Russia), but there was a wide gap between that attitude and the sentiment of a considerable share of the French political establishment and business world.
Pushkov also remarked that the official attitude has to be systematically fuelled.
“As soon as the European countries refused to take economic sanctions, there followed the Malaysian Boeing disaster and their position underwent a shift,” Pushkov said, adding that the timing of the Boeing’s crash was very convenient for the US Administration.
“Then the Europeans said that they would not take more sanctions. Instantly, Russia was accused of moving its regular army into Ukraine, although there are no Russian troops in that country,” Pushkov said. “Each time we can see that it takes a high-profile propaganda campaign in the media to push reluctant Europe towards the US policy of an all-out campaign against Russia. We have taken note of that.”
“The way I see it, the crisis between Russia and Europe is very superficial and artificial,” he added. “But for the United States and their closest political allies, such as East Europeans - Poland, the Baltic countries and Sweden - all pillars of US influence in Europe, I believe that the scale of the crisis between Russia and the Europe would have been far smaller.”
The lawmaker remarked that the countries that have traditionally favored firm relations with Russia, have been very reluctant to follow in the United States’ footsteps under pressures from such anti-Russian forces.