Gerhard Mangott: Putin is probably turning off the gas tap
Political scientist Gerhard Mangott from the University of Innsbruck explains in the Newsroom LIVE Spezial that opponents of the sanctions are wrong to say that Europe will be harmed more than Russia. Russia’s economy will collapse by six to seven percent today, the national budget is heavily in the red and inflation is high.
The impact would be even stronger if Russia Companies that feel the export bans for electronics and spare parts warehouses are empty. Russian industry would no longer be able to produce anything that includes Western components.
The lack of energy in Europe is “almost the only lever that Russia has” to put pressure on Europe, according to the professor from the University of Innsbruck. That’s why Mangott thinks it’s likely that Putin will turn off the gas tap completely.
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However, Mangott is convinced that energy blackmail by Russia will not bring Ukraine to cease-fire negotiations. The calculus is to stir up unrest and fear in the West of high energy bills and the threat of job loss. Neither in Eastern Europe nor in the Baltic States will this succeed, but some in Western European countries could very well change the mood as a result. These countries may not be ready to “freeze for Ukraine”.