The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and forced millions to flee their homes, has triggered a profound transformation in Europe - economic, military and political. This is stated by the Bloomberg agency in an extensive analytical material.
Economic transformation
The war led to a sharp jump in energy prices after access to Russian natural gas was cut off. Energy-intensive industries, including the chemical industry, were the hardest hit. European countries were forced to quickly build new infrastructure and redirect energy supplies.
Trade relations with Russia, which survived even during the Cold War, are unlikely to recover to their pre-war level.
"This is no longer a question of profit margins or cutting back on investments. This is a question of survival," said Peter Zinger, chairman of the board of SKW Stickstoffwerke Piesteritz GmbH.
Transition to "defense mode"
Europe has moved into an accelerated rearmament mode after decades of relative cuts in military budgets. NATO member states have agreed to spend up to 5% of their GDP on defense.
After decades of neutrality, Finland and Sweden have joined the Alliance.
Germany has become a key player, approving record military contracts worth 50 billion euros and taking steps to restore military service.
"The biggest change is that Europe has woken up and switched to defense mode on a broad front," said Henna Virkkunen, the EU's executive vice-president for technological sovereignty, security and democracy.
Changing perceptions of Russia
According to a Bloomberg analysis, illusions about Russia as a strategic partner have been dispelled in Europe. More and more European leaders see Moscow as a country with imperial ambitions, ready to use force to achieve its goals.
Warnings from Eastern European countries - especially Poland and the Baltic states - have gained more weight, and hybrid attacks and disinformation campaigns have intensified the sense of threat.
"Russia is the largest country in the world by territory and remains an imperial expansionist project," commented former NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu.
The European Perspective
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte recently mocked the pace of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, describing it as "shocking in terms of casualties" and comparing progress to a "garden snail".
At the same time, European countries have begun to discuss options for greater strategic autonomy, including in the nuclear sphere, amid concerns about the future reliability of the American "nuclear umbrella". Currently, the only countries in Europe with nuclear weapons are France and the United Kingdom.
According to the analysis, the war in Ukraine has accelerated processes that would otherwise have taken decades - from energy separation from Russia to a profound transformation of European defense policy and strategic thinking.