When voters in the European Union went to the polls to elect a new EU Parliament last weekend, the results were mostly of interest to the people who live in the 27 countries that make up the bloc. But on the other side of the EU’s eastern border, in Russia, the election results drew attention at the highest level. That’s because for Russian President Vladimir Putin, the future of the EU is key to some of his top strategic priorities.
As the results started rolling in, it became clear that for Putin, the outcome of the EU election was mostly good news.
That is true even though, despite the headlines about a surge by the far right, the majority of the votes went to centrist parties, which will retain control of the European Parliament. Even so, the gains by pro-Russian politicians and parties in the EU’s legislative body represent a considerable boost to Putin’s objectives.