We Need To Ring The Bell And Wake Europe Up
- Viktor Shlinchak, Founder and Chairman of the Board of the Institute of World Politics
- 21.10.2026, 11:06
Three “Munich Pacts” are brewing at the same table.
Putin is selling Trump a bill of goods, claiming he’ll take care of everything with Iran. And Trump is supposed to take care of everything regarding Ukraine. Absolute nonsense. After all, Putin has no leverage; he’s bluffing, and Donald is falling for it because he’s backed into a corner. And at that moment, someone tells him they’ll help with the problem—and asks to be paid in advance. The scheme works.
All that’s left is for Trump to promise Xi that, in the event of an attack on Taiwan, he won’t come to its aid. And there you have it—the circle is complete. And—a three-way meeting in Shenzhen in November. And three “Munich agreements” at once, all at the same table. With no regard for the interests of Ukraine, Iran, or Taiwan. Really?
This is what Moscow’s ideal vision looks like.
But I don’t really believe it’s in China’s strategic interests to prop up Russia to such an extent. After all, for China, this means fostering a rival for influence in the medium term—especially in Europe.
All three want to get their hands on (and milk) Europe. And here’s the question: does Le Pen understand this, or some short-sighted Frau from Germany who’s talking about how we need to maintain relations with Russia? I have a feeling they don’t.
Europe’s problem isn’t its current organizational weakness, but the prospect of total weakness. When populists come to power—ones who aren’t ready to pull the trigger but will instead preach “looking Putin, Xi, or Trump in the eye”— We’ve been through this before; we know how it ends.
But right now we have no other choice but to sound the alarm and wake Europe up. They are just like we were in 2021. We didn’t heed the warnings back then. Perhaps they’ll turn out to be smarter after all.
Viktor Shlinchak, founder and chairman of the board of the Institute of World Politics, “Censor.NET”.