BEIJING, March 22. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s re-election means that the European Union’s expectations of ending the confrontation with Moscow by defeating Russia are becoming unrealistic, China’s Global Times newspaper columnist He Zhigao wrote.
"A balanced, effective, and sustainable European security mechanism would benefit both the EU and Russia. However, the prevailing voice in Europe is not one of willingness to coexist with Russia in the European security framework, but rather a desire to defeat Russia," He Zhigao, an associate researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of European Studies, wrote in his opinion piece. "However, with Putin's reelection as the president of Russia, this option has become unrealistic."
He reiterated that from a security perspective, Russia "is a neighbor that the EU cannot move away from." In his opinion, regardless of who wins the upcoming presidential election in the United States, Europe’s aid to Ukraine "will face a new fate," as the EU will need to deal with matters of its own development, "and consider more on how to maintain strategic autonomy."
"It is difficult to defeat a Russia that has a stable government, especially since the country possesses highly modernized conventional armed forces and nuclear weapons," the Chinese expert concluded. "It will also be difficult for a united Europe to give up its stance. But if Europe is preparing for a war to achieve peace, then the cost of achieving such a peace will be too high."
On March 21, the Russian Central Election Commission approved the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, held on March 15-17. According to the official data, 87.28% of voters cast their ballots for Vladimir Putin. A record-high voter turnout of 77.44% was registered during the polls.