The unity of the peoples of Europe is like a French souffle. At first it is loose and airy, but inexorably begins to “settle” after the dish is tested by time and cutlery. Both the diplomat and the gourmet begin to wonder if it was worth cooking all this at all.. Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24 pushed Europe towards unity. In fulfilling its role, the EU has become a paragon of geopolitical power, albeit with risks. As expected, after 100 days of the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, this unity looks somewhat broken.. Intra-European strife has rebounded and is now quite loud. But what sounds like a serious contention must be interpreted according to European standards.. Given this, Europe's continental unity is holding up pretty well, writes The Economist..

Europe has more potential gaps than national dishes. To put it simply, during past crises, divisions have often been observed between northerners who resent being made to pay for increasingly expensive European projects - bailouts, stimulus packages, etc.. - and " However, in relation to Ukraine, the main crack was between east and west..

Hardliners in eastern Europe, especially in Poland and the Baltic states, fear that anything short of a clear defeat of a Russian invasion is prompting Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin to attack them.. In their eyes, the traditional forces that dominate the EU demonstrate insufficient power in supporting their neighbor under attack.. France, Germany and Italy, they mutter, are arrogant about the threat Europe faces and are more willing to talk to Putin than oppose him..

Part of the criticism of the " German Chancellor Olaf Scholz from time to time says that Putin should not win, then sounds like a desperate pacifist.

Can violence be fought with violence "

Germany's promises to provide weapons to Ukraine were not always accompanied by real deliveries. France sent an advanced kit into battle, but President Emmanuel Macron also warned that Russia should not be humiliated. Macron is using the war to promote his idea of \u200b\u200ba "

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi urged Europeans to step up pressure on Russia rather than bask in air-conditioners powered by cheap energy, while Russian oil exports to Italy have actually increased and some Italian companies have bowed to Kremlin demands to pay for energy in rubles.

All three leaders periodically call for a ceasefire.. Hardliners believe that this would mean agreeing to the theft of Ukrainian territory by Putin and allowing his forces to regroup and attack again..

Worse, Scholz, Macron and Draghi have regular telephone conversations with Putin that their opponents deride as pointless, counterproductive or almost treacherous.. None of them have yet been to Kyiv, the city Eastern European leaders (and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson) visited while the capital was still plagued by missile attacks.. Of the major Western European states, only Italy openly insists that Ukraine become a candidate for EU membership, which is actively supported by the eastern countries of the bloc.

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These breaks are not far-fetched, even if some of the accusations against the " Reports that Italy sought to insulate exports of its luxury goods to Russia from sanctions turned out to be meaningless (and Draghi used his central bank chief's pedantry to craft painful sanctions against Russian foreign exchange reserves).

Accusations that Macron was trying to push Ukraine to give up part of the territory for the sake of peace also look vague, as he has repeatedly made it clear that he is talking to Putin at the behest of Ukraine..

Germany was less successful at dodging criticism. But good-natured analysts point out that a major overhaul of foreign and defense policy, known as the Zeitenwende, which includes a 100 billion euro ($107 billion) increase in funding for the German armed forces, will never work overnight..

More importantly, harsh rhetoric within the EU does not block cooperation.. Where it matters, Europe has shown unity. On May 30, at their fourth meeting since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, European leaders agreed on tougher sanctions against Russia..

Sixth package of sanctions includes an embargo on most Russian crude oil imports. Negotiating sanctions dragged on for weeks, not because France or Italy opposed it, but because the Putin-friendly regime in Hungary played tough, threatening to veto everything..

Hungary Depends on Russian Oil Supplied via Pipeline. Country wins exemption from pipeline oil sanctions. Like any EU policy, oil sanctions would not be seriously considered, let alone adopted, without the support of major countries.. Also, 9 billion euros of financial assistance to Ukraine would not have been mobilized without the consent of the three largest "

Lots of empty talk.

Europe tends to look more complicated than it really is. Democracy is always noisy, and the union of 27 democracies is even more. Leaders who attack each other on the European stage often play for domestic audiences, forgetting that their neighbors also have domestic politics..

Every time Draghi publicly advocates supplying weapons to Ukraine, it can be said that he is taking a political risk: the Northern League and the Five Star Movement, the two largest parties supporting his fragile coalition, are vehemently against it.. In Eastern Europe, where the public is willing to reach into its pocket when asked to donate money to buy weapons to beat Russians, political leaders do not lose support when they make tough statements..

How long will the unity last? The obvious next step for the EU would be to impose sanctions on Russian gas, which the Kremlin will try to divert to other customers, and which European consumers (not least Germany) will also try to replace.. So far, that possibility seems remote, but again, a few weeks ago, the prospect of the current oil embargo also looked weak.. As the fight to prevent Russia from taking a bite out of its neighbors continues, European unity will be further tested.. But for now, EU unity seems to hold.

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EU leaders have finally agreed to ban most oil imports from Russia, unlocking a sixth round of sanctions aimed at curbing the Kremlin's ability to finance a brutal war against Ukraine.

It's not a perfect solution, it came too late. It includes numerous concessions that stretch the execution in time and satisfy all the requirements of Hungary.. Sanctions against Russian gas remain out of discussion. At the same time, the new agreements on the oil embargo are still an important step. Bloomberg writes about this, proposing to consider, first of all, the shortcomings of the EU decision.