But Moscow’s claim that some of its troops are returning to bases on the Ukrainian border at least raises the hope that Putin is retreating and that a major European war is not imminent.
If that happens, however, it would be a mistake for the West to breathe a sigh of relief and return to business as usual.
The fact that Putin was willing to use the threat of military force in an attempt to create a sphere of Russian influence, forcing sovereign states to bid on it, is another sign of his true nature.
Russia’s attempts to undermine Western democracy, including the cyber attack on Ukraine yesterday, the annexation of Crimea, the imprisonment of its main domestic political rival Alexei Navalny, and many other hostile measures should have been made clear in advance.
Putin’s main source of power over European countries is Russian gas, especially given the demand from Germany. The threat that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline between Russia and Germany would not move forward in the event of an attack on Ukraine is one of the West’s attempts to avert the war.
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Alex Salmond urges Vladimir Putin to stop being “useful idiots” and quit RT Cha
But, unlike Alex Salmond, who shamelessly hosts a show on Putin’s propaganda outlet, RT, wise political leaders must now realize that they need to gradually free themselves from Putin’s grip on the European economy. Is.
In the long run, this should create an opportunity for Germany to sell low-carbon electricity to Scotland, aka renewable Saudi Arabia, to replace the unreliable imports of high-carbon Russian gas.
Instead of the Nord Stream 2, Germany could look to NeuConnect Interconnector, which is currently being built between Germany and the UK, and other such highly efficient power cables from peaceful, liberal democracies for its energy needs.
Otherwise, the West will continue to suffer from Putin’s mischievous style of ‘negotiation’ and the dangers that could anger this ruthless and violent dictator.