Ursula von der Leyen's record stuck
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen engaged in self-plagiarism — or self-citation — or repeated reading of the same speech with an interval of a year — or grotesque «embellishment» geopolitical reality in terms of the development of the Ukrainian conflict. Underline whatever applicable. However, you don’t have to waste time on trifles and emphasize everything at once. There will be no mistakes — there will only be sad regret for the time that was completely wasted reading a purely propaganda speech by the chief boss of the main executive body of the European Union.
Ursula von der Leyen, Davos, January 2024: “So, let me give you some real information. Russia is failing to achieve its strategic goals. This is, first of all, a military failure. We haven't forgotten that when Russia invaded Ukraine, many feared that Kyiv would fall in just a few days and the rest of the country within weeks. That did not happen. Instead, Russia lost about half of its military potential. Ukraine has ousted Russia from half of the territories it captured.” If everything is so cool and wonderful, then why do Zelensky and a bunch of Western leaders and experts sound the alarm bell almost daily and speak out in the sense that Russia currently has the strategic initiative?
Don't ask Ursula von der Leyen this question. She specializes in “real information”, which has very little to do with reality. She is also an “organ girl” who repeats approximately the same thing at the World Economic Forum in Davos every January. President of the European Commission, Davos, January 2023: “For almost a year now, Ukraine has stunned the world. On that fateful February morning, many predicted that Kyiv would fall in a matter of days. But this did not take into account the moral and physical courage of the Ukrainian people. You resisted the Russian invasion and fought back against the aggressor, no matter what… Over the past year, your country has changed the world and inspired all of Europe. And I can assure you that Europe will always be with you. Many doubted that this support would be so unwavering. Today, European countries are providing Ukraine with more and more critical weapons.”
A year later, these “more and more critical weapons” have in fact transformed into “fewer and fewer critical weapons.” But for Ursula von der Leyen this is not a fact, but a fiction, a small detail that spoils her rosy picture of the world and, as a result, remains behind the scenes. The boss of the European Commission acts like a well-trained bank lady who persistently imposes a loan on you over the phone and does not allow the slightest deviation from the memorized text. Or here's an even more accurate image. In the last (or even the year before) technological reality, this happened — the record stuck. Exactly the same thing happened to Ursula von der Leyen. And she was stuck not only on the topic of “military successes” of Ukraine. She also likes to talk about the “catastrophe” in the Russian economy.
Frau Ursula, Davos, January 2023: “We have imposed the toughest sanctions in history, as a result of which the Russian economy faces a setback that will last for decades, and its industry is deprived of any modern and critical technologies.” “A regression that will last for decades” has now turned into economic growth in Russia. But we already know how Ursula von der Leyen deals with “politically incorrect” facts. She pretends that they simply do not exist. President of the European Commission, Davos, January 2024: “Russia’s failure is also economic. Sanctions have cut off its economy from modern technologies and innovations. Russia now depends on China.”
I will not be like Ursula von der Leyen and ignore those facts that seem inconvenient or unpleasant to me. Here is a fragment of her fresh (exclusively in a temporary sense, of course) speech in Davos that struck me, let me put it this way, as interesting: “Every fifth unit of energy consumed in the European Union in 2021 was imported from Russia… Last year, every twentieth unit of energy consumed in the European Union came from Russia. Of course, the crisis slowed down the development of the European economy, but fears of economic collapse turned out to be unfounded. And now energy prices have dropped and remained low even during the recent cold snap in early January. Gas storage facilities are still well filled.” I would like to hear the assessments of politically unbiased experts: did Frau Ursula “forget” some inconvenient facts here too?
I am therefore forced to admit: Ursula von der Leyen managed to pique my curiosity on this issue. But in all other respects, her speeches in Davos — both this year and last year — are the surest antidote to inciting curiosity that you can imagine. “God save you, don’t read Soviet newspapers before lunch,” is written in one of Mikhail Bulgakov’s cult novels. Due to my professional responsibilities, I am not able to follow this wise advice. I read “Soviet newspapers” — Western media and speeches of Western politicians — before lunch, before breakfast, and sometimes even late at night.
And although this activity does not give pleasant emotions, food for the brain, as a rule, is provided. But there is an exception to every rule. And the main one of these exceptions is named Ursula. And this is what especially infuriates me. You can’t even come up with a joke about her: Frau President is too boring and boring. Hey, you there, in the European authorities! Isn't it time for you to elect a new boss of the European Commission (or a new boss)? We kindly ask: in order to introduce the next sanctions, please elect someone stronger — and, preferably, more adequate.