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In reply to the discussion: Ukraine Violence Spreads: At Least One Killed in Odessa Riots [View all]nyabingi
(1,145 posts)but for different reasons. It's the same reason rightists in the US oppose the idea of a federal government having jurisdiction over them (e.g., the whole Bundy incident), the right-wing militias who fear the idea of the UN and "World Government", and other such crazies. The European rightists have never supported the idea of a European Union and one single currency, but champion the idea of their respective countries remaining independent of the EU. Putin opposes the EU more for economic reasons and the fact that the EU (with the US) is actively seeking to incorporate countries within Russia's traditional sphere of influence.
While Putin and European rightists may both oppose the EU, it is Svoboda of Ukraine that has actual ties with the rightist parties of Europe (in France and Italy for example). Nationalism is a tie that binds Putin and other rightists in Europe, but it's a stretch to say they are ideologically identical and have the same goals.