https://daringfireball.net/linked/2024/10/02/russia-app-store-vpns
So, when Russia or China does something, then the rhetoric is immediately "oh, Apple can't just pull out" and, surprisingly, "it's valid criticism for AppStore as sole distribution method".
When it's EU news, the rhetoric is "AppStore isn't that profitable in the EU", "Apple should pull out of the EU" and "if you want an alternative store, go get Android".
https://daringfireball.net/2024/03/eu_share_of_apples_revenue and linked articles
And no one is demanding that Apple turn iPhone into Android
And they are using regulations as a useful scapegoat for their own failures on top of that: https://mastodon.social/@stroughtonsmith/113239045852374113
Yeah, such garbage. Apple could comply in Russia with all the enthusiasm with which they comply in the EU. For example, they could easily turn on sideloading now that they have implemented it for the EU.