Originally Posted by
OUTLAW 09
3. Russia wants to split the EU and US economically as well as politically.
Although the Unites States are trying to do their best to disrupt the economic relations between the EU and Russia, Russia is not losing the battle for influence in Europe, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday.
"There is a big battle going on," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Russian TVC channel. "The United States want to use the current situation in order to separate Europe from Russia economy-wise and bargain the most favorable conditions for themselves in the context of the ongoing negotiations on the creation of a transatlantic trade and investment partnership."
Here for me is the true Russia fear and it is macroeconomics pure and simple--it is TTIP as it would negate their vision of an European wide from Portugal to the Russian Far East free trade zone controlled/influenced by Russia which in effect would make Russia with it's oil/gas then one of the largest economic powers to go along with it's military/nuclear power thus effectively negating any US influence in Europe.
Again this implied desire to split the EU and the US is repeated several times by the Russian FM in the entire RIA article.
Answering the question on whether Russia is losing Europe to the United States, the Russian Foreign Minister said, "I think not."
"Now we are seeing the EU giving the subject a second thought. The fact that some of the EU countries, which are not the largest and do not have a leading role, begin to argue openly that the policy of sanctions is a deadlock, that it is counterproductive, says a lot," Lavrov said.
Here is in fact a tad differently worded the core Russian macroeconomics view of Europe that they ae striving to create, influence and control. They have discussed their "dream" of an free trade economic zone from Portugal to the Russian Far East in conversations with the EU but have been blocked by the EU--now it raises it's head again.