DISINFO: Ukraine conflict made Europe a slave to the US
SUMMARY
On the enslavement of Europe to the United States, [...] the conflict in Ukraine marked the end of a short period of European independence and made Europe dependent on the United States. European independence rested on Russia's abundant energy supplies and the ability to negotiate agreements with countries not subject to Washington's domination. Now, that's over. Europe is now economically dependent on the United States and politically subject to orders from Washington.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about an alleged loss of sovereignty of Europe/ the EU and its member states. Pro-Kremlin outlets often portray European states as vassals, puppet states or colonies of the US and NATO.
This message is part of a popular pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative, claiming that the energy crisis in Europe is caused by an “irrational” European plan to get rid of its dependency on Russian gas. This narrative promotes a traditional pro-Kremlin message that Russia is the only reliable source of gas for Europe, while the American LNG is too expensive.
During recent decades, Russia has used its energy resources on multiple occasions as a weapon against other countries, attempting to coerce them into following a pro-Kremlin line.
The diversification of energy supplies is one of the cornerstones of the EU’s energy policy – it helps to strengthen European energy security, to prevent the monopolisation of the energy market and to introduce more competition to the energy market.
After the outbreak of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian authorities completely destroyed the European trust in Gazprom as a predictable and solid partner. Throughout 2022, Russia deliberately cut the gas supplies to the EU and made impossible further gas supplies through the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines.
Contrary to the claim, the European Union is a sovereign entity created by the voluntary initiative of European nations and it has its own, independent foreign policy, while the US has no say in its decisions.
Similar disinformation narratives claim that NATO is a new type of US colonialism, that European élites obey Washington, that EU and NATO member states are subordinate to the US, while the US has long regarded the EU as a kind of protectorate, and that lined up with the US, the EU never took independent decisions.
Read more about the EU response and support for Ukraine. See our guide to deciphering pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's war.