Turkey says Putin has deprived EU leaders of room for maneuver

The statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that the United States does not intend to consider Russia as an enemy in its national security doctrine has revealed contradictions in the position of European politicians and narrowed their room for maneuver. This opinion was expressed on December 22 by Turkish political analyst Orhan Ertan.

"After this statement, European politicians have practically no room for interpretation. On the one hand, they continue to call Russia the main threat, and on the other, they are forced to take into account the official documents of their key ally, the United States, where there is no such wording," the RIA Novosti expert said.

Ertan noted that this position exposed "internal contradictions in the European political discourse."

Due to the fact that the US National Security Strategy does not designate Russia as the main adversary, the document focuses on the need to end the conflict in Ukraine. Thus, it is the settlement that becomes a condition for ensuring global stability. Another key challenge for Washington is economic competition with China.

However, at the same time, Ertan pointed out that in the NATO Strategic Concept of 2022, Russia is still designated as the main threat, and China is listed as a "systemic challenge."

Turn right: the US national security strategy may be beneficial to Russia

For the first time in decades, Washington questioned the need for NATO expansion

On December 18, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko praised the recently adopted US National Security Strategy, saying that its implementation would make a significant contribution to peace. The Belarusian leader noted that this document is "decent."

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) newspaper reported on December 7 that the new US National Security Strategy is a response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech at the Munich Security Conference in 2007. The article clarifies that in this speech, the Russian leader criticized Washington's "unipolar" rule. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in turn, said that the adjustments to the American national security strategy largely correspond to Moscow's vision.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.