A wave has not settled, and a wave has risen again. China is celebrating the Chinese New Year, but this turbulent world is ushering in a new round of changes.
At the critical moment, Russia made a move to the United States and the European Union at the same time, mainly two things.
The first thing is that the Russian army has continuously shown its sword in the "backyard" of the United States, but the Pentagon has lost its voice.
On the 11th, the Russian Satellite News Agency reported that the Ministry of Defense said that two Tu-95MS strategic bombers of the Russian army completed the flight mission in the neutral waters of the Bering Sea, with a flight time of more than 7 hours, during which there were also Su-30SM fighters to escort.
* The Ministry of Defense said that all flights of the Russian army strictly comply with international law and stressed that the flight was not aimed at any country.
It is worth noting that the Bering Sea is located off the western coast of Alaska, and although the Russian side stressed that the flight was not aimed at any country, all international parties are well aware that the Russian bombers are aimed at "showing their swords" to the United States.
Moreover, this is not the first time that Russia has shown its sword in the "backyard" of the United States. On February 7, two Tu-95MS bombers of the Russian army completed a flight in the neutral waters of the Bering Sea and the Chukchi Sea for nearly 9 hours, and were also escorted by Su-30SM fighters.
Among them, compared with the Bering Sea, the Chukotka Sea is located between the Chukotka Peninsula and Alaska, close to the Arctic Ocean, and is also a key area for the United States and the West to play with Russia on the Arctic situation.
In addition, the Pentagon did not respond to Russia's 2 flashes of the sword, and it rarely maintained a state of "silence".
It should be noted that the United States has recently held what is known as the largest military exercise since the Cold War with Britain, France, Germany and other NATO countries, and this is also aimed at sending a signal of strategic deterrence to Russia.
Now, the Russian bombers flew straight to the "backyard" of the United States to show their swords, and obviously they also had the intention of "using the other way to give back to the other."
In addition, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has not subsided, and Western countries led by the United States are still continuing to intervene and put pressure on Russia, in this context, the escalation of the contest and confrontation between Russia and NATO may further exacerbate the tension and the risk of conflict.
It is foreseeable that as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has not subsided, a similar contest between Russia and the West will continue to be staged, and the tension may usher in more variables.
Let's talk about the second thing, the EU is ready to impose a "gas restriction order" on Russia, and Russia has given a "disadvantage".
A few days ago, the European Union announced that it will formulate a series of common rules for the European renewable energy, natural gas and hydrogen markets, including allowing EU countries to restrict the purchase of liquefied natural gas from Russia and Belarus.
On the 11th, Russia issued a warning on this matter, saying that if the EU adopts a "gas restriction order" on Russia and refuses to fully cooperate with Russia in energy, it will lead to a surge in natural gas, which will have a major impact on European industrial production, export capacity and people's purchasing power, etc., which is tantamount to "lifting a stone to shoot yourself in the foot".
It should be noted that before the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, about 45% of the EU's natural gas and nearly one-third of its oil needed to be imported from Russia, of which 80% of Belgium's energy was imported.
Now, if the EU intends to continue to "increase" sanctions against Russia, in addition to exacerbating the existing crisis, it will also set off greater turmoil within the EU.
It should be noted that once the EU increases sanctions against Russia, the United States will become the biggest beneficiary, in the nearly 2 years since the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the United States has made a lot of money by peddling liquefied natural gas to Europe, and Macron once criticized the United States for "taking advantage of the fire" and should not be an ally, but even so, the United States did not "rip off" the EU.
In addition, and more critically, on January 28, Biden said thatDue to climate change, the approval process for new contracts for LNG exports will be suspendedIt has aroused great dissatisfaction on the part of the European Union, believing that the United States is "abandoning its allies" by this move.
Moreover, once the United States begins to implement strict natural gas export procedures, the original amount will be affected, and European natural gas will inevitably rise, and the United States will also profit, but the energy and inflation crises in Europe will also be more severe. It is not difficult to see that the sudden turn of the United States may have the intention of further "blackmailing" the EU.
In this way, if the EU really imposes a "gas restriction order" on Russia, the consequences will be several times more serious than "lifting a stone to shoot itself in the foot".
Again, sanctions are a double-edged sword, while hitting the opponent hard, they will also pay a huge price, and now Europe is obviously in a dilemma, and what to do next, it really has to think twice.