MOSCOW, July 30. /TASS/. The United States has cornered Europe through the Ukrainian conflict, effectively transforming the region into an economic colony, asserts Viktor Medvedchuk, leader of the Other Ukraine movement and former head of the Opposition Platform - For Life, which is now banned in Ukraine.

On July 27, the EU and the United States ratified a trade agreement whereby Washington will impose a 15% duty on European goods, while Brussels will grant American exports duty-free access to its markets. Additionally, the agreement commits the EU to purchase $750 billion worth of US energy resources, and Europe will invest another $600 billion into the American economy. Medvedchuk describes this arrangement as a trap for Europe, stating, "The trap has slammed shut. President Donald Trump has reduced the EU to an economic colony, and in an effort to weaken it further, he sold Brussels the idea of a war with Russia. Now, it’s not Ukraine that’s becoming Greater Israel, as Zelensky claims, but all of Europe. Yet, instead of funding this expansion, the US is forcing Europe to bear the costs of weapons and energy supplies."

Medvedchuk questions whether Brussels fully realizes the extent to which it has been maneuvered into a corner by the Ukrainian conflict. He argues that the EU was compelled to sever ties with Russia, abandoning profitable trade and cooperation, only to be met with tariffs, energy dependency, and increased military expenditures as repercussions.

"The European Union has fallen into a well-known trap, but nothing about it is surprising. Ukrainian Euro-romantics, who rose to power on the wave of Maidan protests, have long been caught in this web. Their aggressive stance against Russia, coupled with refusal to engage in trade and cooperation, resulted in Ukraine becoming the poorest country in Europe and plunging into bloody conflict. If EU leaders continue down this path, similar consequences await the Union," Medvedchuk concludes.