Someideasrefuse to die. One of these is the notion of a European "reversal of alliances" into the arms of Russia. The phraserefersto the unexpected decoupling from former allies, accompanied by an unexpected alliance with former enemies. In 1756, Austria, which had always been an ally of Great Britain, instead allied with its longtime foe, France. Meanwhile, Great Britain and its old enemy, Prussia, became allies -- resulting in the Seven Years' War.
You hear it in Europe from the "new right" and thefar left-- atconferenceswhere people swoon over "multipolarity" and in the corridors of Germany's Bundestag, where desperate industrialistspleadfor Russia's Gazprom to reopen its taps.
If this reversal of alliances was possible in 1756, why not in 2026?
Europe is economically dependent on the United States, not on Russia
In 2024, bilateral trade between the European Union and the United Statesreached€1.68 trillion (exports plus imports). For 2025, goods trade rose modestly; services (which tend to grow steadily) likely pushed the combined total to a similar or slightlyhigherlevel, though exact 2025 services numbers are pending.
Trade between the EU and Russia was at€68 billion in 2023, then €67.5 billion in 2024. Full-year 2025 figures are not yet finalized, but trade continued todeclineand hit record lows. In May 2025,EU Newswrote, "EU-Russia trade at an all-time low, imports plummeted 86 per cent since the start of the war."
Joel Hills, business and economics editor of ITV, has beenaskingfor years, "Why Is Europe still buying Russian oil and gas?"
In other words, for the EU, the US alone represents 30 times Russia's trade weight. Even these figures understate reality because they exclude direct US investment in Europe, the role of the dollar as a reserve currency, and financing Europe's public debt.
Russia, for its part, mainly sold hydrocarbons such as oil and gas — 85% of its oilexportsto the EU before 2022 — and bought almost nothing from Europe. Europeans have therefore been in a position of unilateral dependence -- not supposed "interdependence." Those in Europe who stilllamentthe loss of "cheap Russian gas" conveniently forget that in 2021, Gazprom waschargingmore than $1,200 per 1,000 m³ at the peak of the crisis —three timesthepriceof American liquefied natural gas today.
Russia never sought an "alliance" with Europe: It seeks Europe's subjugation
Source: Gatestone Institute :: Articles
