“Russia Is a Means for Europe To Maintain Its Independence From America” – Political Scientist

15.03 2022

“Ukraine is Russia’s gateway. It could have become a link between Russia and the West”, said European affairs expert, Genesis Armenia’s Policy and Foreign Relations project manager Astghik Mnatsakanyan during the “Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Economic and Geopolitical Consequences” discussion held at Genesis Armenia.

“Ukraine should have remained as neutral as possible about joining political and military alliances. In this context, it was clear that Ukraine’s policy against Russia would lead to this conflict,” Mnatsakanyan said.

Touching upon the sanctions imposed on Russia, Harut Arakelyan, Head of Genesis Armenia’s Policy and Foreign Relations Sector, stressed that there is a widespread opinion that Russia cannot survive without Europe, since Europe is Russia’s largest market. But Russia, in turn, is a means for Europe to maintain its independence from America.

Astghik Mnatsakanyan is convinced that the sanctions imposed by Europe are a double-edged sword for both Russia and Europe.

“The dependence on each other is so high that these sanctions will create a major problem for some European countries. It will become a heavy burden for them that will not be easy to shrug off. Therefore, it is wrong to think that they will force Russia to cease hostilities,” Mnatsakanyan said.

According to the expert, this war will be a watershed for the security environment  in Europe: “Regardless of the duration and consequences of the war, the security situation that existed in Europe will be no more.”