The Pro Putin Far Right is on the March across Europe
It could spell tragedy for Ukraine
Armida van Rij Published: Thu 11 Apr 2024 15.15 BST
With Slovakia the latest member to elect a Russia-leaning leader, the EU is increasingly open to hostile interference from Russia that could see it move closer.
The victory for Peter Pellegrini in Slovakia’s presidential election is just the latest triumph for the far right in Europe. Even though the role of president is largely symbolic, his win over his pro-European rival, Ivan Korčok, by a comfortable six-point margin, consolidates the power of the prime minister, Robert Fico. The result is one of a growing number of victories for politicians supportive of Vladimir Putin in Europe.
Public support for the far right is sweeping across the continent. In the Netherlands and Portugal, far-right parties have also increased their vote share in recent national elections. Meanwhile, polling ahead of German local elections, and Austrian and Belgian parliamentary elections this year, suggests they are likely to make gains in these countries too.
There is a real possibility that Austria’s elections might see a return to power for the far right, Putin-supporting Freedom party, if another party can be convinced to join it in a coalition. There is a sense across Europe that the far right is gathering momentum and expanding beyond its usual core vote.
Thousands across Austria take part in protests against far right
This trend is mirrored in the European parliament, where polls suggest the two far-right groupings are likely to increase their vote share in elections in June. Russia is the issue where the difference between the two groupings is at its most stark. The far-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, home to Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s party, is broadly supportive of sanctions against Russia and aid to Ukraine. While the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group, which includes Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland and Austria’s Freedom party, is pro-Russian and has systematically voted against support for Ukraine.
Both are forecast to increase their seats, the latter grouping by more than a third, potentially placing it behind only the conservative Europe People’s party (EPP) and the leftwing Socialists and Democrats. This means not just an increase in vote share for the far right, but for a pro-Putin far right.
Alongside the usual electoral campaigning, there have also been some attempts at horse-trading in the hope of re-orienting the coalitions. The current European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen – affiliated with the EPP – has been courting Meloni, amid speculation her Brothers of Italy party is considering leaving the ECR and joining the EPP to bolster its overall vote share. Meanwhile, Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz doesn’t currently have a home in the European parliament after leaving the EPP before it could be ousted in 2021, but has stated his intention for the party to join the ECR.
Why is this important? With key challenges such as military support for Ukraine, EU enlargement and the green transition on the agenda in the next parliament, a growing far-right bloc sympathetic to Putin will be sure to have its say. Ukraine is an especially pertinent issue: there will inevitably be crunch discussions about further financial, military and humanitarian aid, and the extent to which EU countries will be willing to support Ukraine by reducing trade barriers on the import of goods. While von der Leyen has made it clear that defence and security are her top priorities if re-elected for a second term, increased pro-Putin leanings in both the European parliament and in the European council could make this more difficult.
Hungary – who will also hold the six-month rotating seat of the council presidency from 1 July 2024 – has already demonstrated it can hold up aid for Ukraine and block new sanction packages proposed by the commission. Orbán, Putin’s puppet in Europe, has also tried to advance Serbia’s accession to the EU – a state with an equally pro-Russian government – at a faster pace than other Western Balkan states that are technically speaking more ready for accession.
The far right across Europe – whether pro- or anti-Putin – agrees on one thing, and that is the need to consolidate its position to hollow out the EU from within. Yet seeking closer relations with Russia, as some parties are keen to do, brings with it all kinds of security risks. The recent allegations against Austrian intelligence officials expose the extensive spy network the Russian state has built up in Europe to further its own imperialist agenda. Consider a scenario in which Russia does challenge the territorial integrity of an EU – or Nato – state. What might a European response, where pro-Putin parties have influence, look like?
A somewhat startling headline, it will be interesting to see this develop within the EU as the EU is challenged to deal with its future security post the Ukraine war and a second term for TRUMP. President Emmanual Macron wants to bring Russia back to the negotiating table and begin dialogue on some form of a Security Pact with Russia, NATO’s existence in its current form will be an issue even more so now.
The Bible has long revealed that Russia and an EU Army will enter into a final conflict with Israel and the Middle East. Germany is the key country in what Bible Prophecy refers to as the land of “Magog”. They are spoken of militarily as the “King of the North”. Together the Bible says that Russia and the EU will invade the Middle East in the Last Days. So Bible Students expect to see Germany and France taking a greater role in leading Europe. It is also interesting to see Germany taking greater control of a continent they tried to take by war and failed.
Yet again we see in Todays News Headlines words that show how the Nations are fulfilling the latter day alignment of Nations as Prophesied by the Bible.
See this article to learn more about this and the latter day prophecies of the Bible.
See this article for more on this subject: WHAT IS NEXT FOR EUROPE
