Consequently, many countries, especially China, did not participate, and a significant portion of those who did attend sent lower-level representatives. Moreover, BRICS members and other Global South countries did not sign the prepared "joint declaration."

The U.S. and the UK are not seeking peace in the Ukraine war; they want a "long war," seeking military and financial resources for this purpose, and aiming to align NATO countries with Washington’s global strategy.

Having opened the "NATO path" to Ukraine in 2008, triggering the crisis with Russia, the U.S. is now trying to mobilize the Atlantic camp against China. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg’s frequent false claims that "China is fueling the war in Europe" are for this reason. This time, Stoltenberg added a threat to his lie: "NATO allies must be prepared to make China's actions costly if necessary" (AA, 17.06.2024).

The U.S.'s Move Against Eurasianization

The issue is that NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg, acting as a U.S. official, is practically threatening NATO allies more than China. The command "be ready" is for NATO countries to align with U.S. interests.

We have frequently emphasized in the "Beyond the Horizon" column that one of the objectives of the U.S. with the Ukraine crisis is to push back Russia, weaken its economy to pressure the Kremlin, and eventually dismantle the federation. Another objective is to reassert control over the EU, which has been attempting to chart a separate course from the U.S. under the guise of "strategic autonomy."

With the Ukraine crisis, the U.S. has attempted to drop a "new iron curtain" from the Arctic Ocean to the Eastern Mediterranean, cutting off the Eurasianization process between Europe and Asia. The crisis has pushed Russia out of the European security architecture.

The Importance of Neutrality Status

In response to this new situation, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a dual move during the Geneva Conference:

First, Putin announced the conditions for a ceasefire with Ukraine: a) The withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics and the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. b) Ukraine's formal declaration of abandoning its plan to join NATO.

Let’s open a parenthesis here: Ukraine’s neutrality status has been a topic of European peace since the dissolution of the USSR, and the U.S. has sabotaged European peace by trying to disrupt this status. A study of European history reveals that for 500 years, such "neutrality statuses" have turned major wars into peace.

From Euro-Atlantic to Eurasia

Secondly, Putin proposed a joint security system for Eurasia: "I believe it is time to start consultations on a new system concerning bilateral and multilateral guarantees of common security in Eurasia. Additionally, efforts need to be made for the gradual reduction of external military presence in the Eurasian region" (AA, 14.6.2024).

Putin also noted that the formation process of the Eurasian security architecture is open to all European countries, including NATO members.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s formula is simpler: "The concept of Euro-Atlantic security is no longer valid for Russia. Security needs to be ensured in the Eurasian region."

Two Paths Ahead for Europe

This transformation is, in fact, the natural outcome of the "multipolarity" process. The Global South is strengthening, issues monopolized by the U.S. are becoming internationalized and democratized.

In this context, European countries face two opposing paths: either they will integrate into the U.S. strategy, becoming enemies of China and Russia for U.S. interests and thus losing, or they will transform Euro-Atlantic security into Euro-Asian (Eurasian) security.