Russia Sees 'Brexit' Weakening European Resolve, Analysts Say

Russia Sees 'Brexit' Weakening European Resolve, Analysts¹ Say

MOSCOW—

As Britain contemplates² leaving the European Union with a June 23 referendum, Russia is seen as one of the few countries in Europe favoring a so-called “Brexit” from the EU.

While pubs in Britain are buzzing with debate over whether to leave the European Union, at those in Russia, many locals support a Brexit. 

"I think England is such a distinctive³ country that they really don't need the European Union, because they are already distanced from those union governments,” radio presenter⁴ Marina Karpova said while tucking into some traditional pub food at Molly Gwynn's in Moscow. “I think they'd get on wonderfully outside the European Union."

Other Muscovites disagree.  

"They have support from all of Europe,” said amateur athlete Farukh Mukhmadeev, across from the British Queen pub and just around the corner from Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater. “If they exit, then they'll become independent and thus economically vulnerable and maybe more. So I think it's better for them to stay in the EU.”

More frequent rhetoric⁵

The Kremlin has taken no official position on the Brexit, or any other possible departures from the EU. But since Western sanctions were enacted⁶ over Russia’s actions in Ukraine, there is more frequent anti-EU rhetoric from Russian politicians and state-controlled media.  

Some Russians repeat Kremlin propaganda claims that Britain, as part of the West, aims to weaken Russia, regardless. 

"Even if formally England exits the European Union, its connections will remain intact. It will still work and do everything it can to harm Russia,” said Nadezhda Stepanova, standing⁷ just meters from where a Congolese man dressed as a British ceremonial guardian⁸ known as a Yeomen Warder, also called a Beefeater, hands out fliers for the British Queen pub.

Russian support for European politicians and groups who want their countries to break away from the EU, or Brussels-centralized policies, and its Western allies has been evident.  Russian state bank loans have gone to the French far-right party of Marine⁹ Le Pen, and the Kremlin has courted Euro-skeptics across the political spectrum¹⁰.  

“Russia is openly supporting political forces on the radical¹¹ left and on the radical right that are openly against the idea of the European Union and calling for the abolition¹² of the European Union,” said Peter Kreko, director of the Political Capital Institute research institution in Budapest, via Skype.

Political analysts say the Kremlin hopes a British exit will weaken European resolve against a resurgent Russia and lead to the lifting of Western sanctions. Although still marginal, European political voices have grown in France, Germany, Greece and other nations calling for the sanctions to be removed.

Departure of a foe¹³

With a Brexit, the EU would lose one of its strongest opponents of Russian influence in Europe, Kreko said. 

“So it's partially¹⁴ about disintegrating¹⁵ the European Union as a whole and destabilizing it,” he said.  “On the other hand, this is also about Great Britain, which is one of the fiercest critics of Vladimir Putin's Russia.”

Weakening the EU as such, however, is not so much the Kremlin’s goal, according to Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Moscow Center.

Despite the sanctions and political tensions, the EU remains¹⁶ Russia’s largest trading partner. “So poorer European Union means poorer Russia, actually,” Baunov said. “And weaker European Union, economically at least, means weaker Russia.”

The Kremlin’s goal is to quiet those voices in the EU it considers hostile toward Russia. “Less hostile mean(s) ... turning some blind eye(s) toward some Russian ambitions, like integration¹⁷ of the post-Soviet space ... around Russia,” Baunov said.

An EU without Britain might waver on sanctions against Russia and further embolden¹⁸ Putin's ambitions.

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

2 contemplates   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的第三人称单数 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• She contemplates leaving for the sake of the kids. 她考虑为了孩子而离开。
• Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them. 事物的美存在于细心观察它的人的头脑中。

3 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

4 presenter   

n.（电视、广播的）主持人，赠与者

参考例句：

• Most people think being a television presenter is exciting.很多人认为当电视节目主持人是一件刺激的事情。
• The programme dispensed with its most popular presenter.这个节目最受欢迎的主持人被换掉了。

5 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

6 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

9 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

10 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

11 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

12 abolition   

n.废除，取消

参考例句：

• They declared for the abolition of slavery.他们声明赞成废除奴隶制度。
• The abolition of the monarchy was part of their price.废除君主制是他们的其中一部分条件。

13 foe   

n.敌人，仇敌

参考例句：

• He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。
• A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌，友是友，必须分清界限。

14 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

15 disintegrating   

v.（使）破裂[分裂，粉碎]，（使）崩溃( disintegrate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• As a poetic version of a disintegrating world, this one pleased him. 作为世界崩溃论在文学上的表现，他非常喜欢这个学说。 来自辞典例句
• Soil animals increase the speed of litter breakdown by disintegrating tissue. 土壤动物通过分解组织，加速落叶层降解的速度。 来自辞典例句

16 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

17 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

18 embolden   

v.给…壮胆，鼓励

参考例句：

• Emboldened by the wine,he went over to introduce himself to her.他借酒壮胆，走上前去向她作自我介绍。
• The Prime Minister was steadily emboldened by the discovery that he faced no opposition.发现自己并未遭到反对，首相渐渐有了信心。