EU SummitMOSCOW, 12 Mar. The longer anti-Russian sanctions persist, the more visible the split within Europe becomes, according to an article by Spiegel columnist Markus Becker. Russia and come to a consensus on admitting Ukraine to the organization, the author said. «The more people die and the more Western sanctions hit the EU itself, the more cracks there are on the European front,» Becker wrote. The heads of state and government, after long discussions, came only to the fact that Kyiv must go through all the procedures for membership in the European Union and will not be given any preferences along this path, as required by the countries of Eastern Europe. />In Germany, the consequences of refusing Russian gas were revealed. Another requirement of the eastern members of the EU — to stop the supply of Russian energy carriers — was also rejected in the West. Becker added. Among the reasons for not tightening sanctions is the risk of an even greater rise in energy prices. To prevent this from happening, Greece, Italy and Spain proposed to limit energy prices, but Germany and the Netherlands rejected their idea. Also, the summit participants were surprised by the unexpected idea of the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, to double aid to Ukraine for the purchase of weapons. In the declaration following the meeting, this proposal was not reflected in any way.Massive bankruptcy of enterprises is expected in Germany due to fuel pricesRussia launched a special operation to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine on the morning of February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» The Defense Ministry stressed that the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops, nothing threatens the civilian population. With the support of the Russian military, the forces of the DPR and LPR are developing an offensive. Putin has repeatedly emphasized that there is no talk of the occupation of Ukraine. Western countries, in response to the start of the operation, introduced new anti-Russian sanctions, the next since 2014. As President's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said earlier, the Western sanctions are very serious, Russia was preparing for them in advance. He added that they require analysis and coordination of departments in order to develop response measures that are in line with Russia's interests. — for anti-Russian sanctions
