'We told you so!' How the West didn't listen to the countries that know Russia best
VILNIUS — For years, Western Europeans have been dismissive of politicians from Poland and the Baltic countries whenever they sounded the alarm over the expansionist threat posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
They now realize they should have listened to countries with a far deeper knowledge of the Kremlin and a bitter historical memory of the violence that Moscow is willing to unleash to pursue its goals.
Instead, the Westerners followed a path of commercial and political appeasement of Putin, led by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which has now spectacularly backfired with the invasion of Ukraine, the bombardment of its cities and mass emigration. "The Western Europeans pooh-poohed and patronized us for these last 30 years,” said Radosław Sikorski, a former Polish foreign minister. “For years [they] were patronizing us about our attitude: ‘Oh, you know, you over-nervous, over-sensitive Central Europeans are prejudiced against Russia.'”
The Easterners say they ran into a brick wall when they made pleas for increased NATO deployments, drew attention to cyberattacks and called on Berlin not to let the EU be held hostage by giant pipelines pumping gas straight into Germany. The outspoken, pugnacious Sikorski, then defense minister, triggered outrage in thin-skinned diplomatic circles in 2006 when he dared compare the Russia-to-Germany Nord Stream gas pipeline project, which bypassed Poland, to the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact of 1939 that divided Poland between the Nazis and Soviets.
https://www.politico.eu/article/western-europe-listen-to-the-baltic-countries-that-know-russia-best-ukraine-poland/
= new reply since forum marked as read
I've heard one theory that Merkel, etc., figured Russia would behave itself if their new economy was tied to selling products (oil) to western Europe. They wouldn't want to lose a big customer, right? Europe would have some leverage.
One could argue that 30 years ago western Europe felt it needed to help "normalize" Russia by aiding in its transition from a state-owned economy to a market economy. Who knows, they might even become allies and qualify for EU membership someday.
One might fear that letting the nuclear-armed Russia go it alone after the collapse of the USSR could lead to broad instability that could prove to be even riskier than creating some mutually beneficial ties to its neighbors.
Realpolitik.
We read about treaties of non-aggression, but the plan to divide up eastern Europe wasn't part of the discussion.
Wow. Thanks JoanofArgh and DU for the history lesson. 