Political elites in Europe - a group that includes many warmongers - have already begun persuading their populations to accept the idea that war with Russia is inevitable, Pepe Escobar, a Brazilian international journalist and Eurasian geopolitical analyst, has told TASS.

When asked whether he considers a direct military confrontation between Europe and Russia - a scenario predicted by Brussels - to be realistic, Escobar noted that the situation is "complex" and "depends on European political elites, who are full of warmongers."

"Right now, among them we have the leadership of the European Commission - who are all, in essence, warmongers - as well as Europe's key governments, such as Germany, France, and Italy, which are located far away from Russia. However, the core of a militant NATO lies in Eastern Europe, just as the Americans wanted. This includes Poland, the Baltic states, Romania to some extent, and, of course, the Scandinavian countries," the analyst specified.