Europe's 'almost-consensus' moment on Russia speaks volumes

For shame

Early on Friday, February 25, the day after Russia invaded Ukraine, Donald Tusk, a former prime minister of Poland and a former president of the European Council, tweeted as follows:

In this war everything is real: Putin’s madness and cruelty, Ukrainian victims, bombs falling on Kyiv. Only your sanctions are pretended. Those EU government’s, which blocked tough decisions (i.a. Germany, Hungary, Italy) have disgraced themselves.

- Donald Tusk (@donaldtuskEPP) February 25, 2022

“In this war everything is real: Putin’s madness and cruelty, Ukrainian victims, bombs falling on Kyiv. Only your sanctions are pretended. Those EU government’s, (sic) which blocked tough decisions (i.a. Germany, Hungary, Italy) have disgraced themselves.”

Mr Tusk’s observations are worth noting. He currently leads the European People’s Party, which is said to be Europe’s largest transnational grouping. Last July, he returned to Polish politics. But more to the point, Mr Tusk knows the way Europe works, or rather, do…