Russia’s friends in black
Why Europe’s populists and radicals admire Vladimir Putin
IF EUROPE’S far-right parties do as well as many expect in May’s European election, no world leader will be happier than Vladimir Putin. For a man who claims to be defending Russian-speakers in Ukraine against fascists and Nazis, the Russian president has some curious bedfellows on the fringes of European politics, ranging from the creepy uniformed followers of Jobbik in Hungary to the more scrubbed-up National Front in France.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Russia’s friends in black”
From the April 19th 2014 edition
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Europe’s reluctant reset with Turkey
President Erdogan’s top challenger is behind bars. Europe has bigger fish to fry
Europe wants Sweden’s minerals. That’s more bad news for the Sami
Weak legal protections are pushing reindeer-herders to the brink
Why Italy’s defence spending lags far behind
Despite Giorgia Meloni’s vocal criticism of Putin’s war
France is a far healthier country than America
Yet even its medical care is under strain
America is selling a Ukraine peace plan. No one is buying, yet
If they can’t seal the deal, Donald Trump’s team may walk away
The Kremlin’s grey-zone war in the Black Sea shows its real intent
Ceasefires are predictably elusive