Natural gas supply is a weapon: Putin’s treacherous move

Good morning dear reader,

Now you can say: Cleverly crafted by Putin, he takes us through the treacherous secret service mode. By giving us a bit of gas, he has in his hands the most important leverage to threaten the West – so he can turn the faucet on or off depending on the war situation. And only winter will come “Gas Gun” Works very effectively. Yes, you can see it as such and certainly not wrong.

However, at the same time, it may be noted that: The chilling enthusiasm with which horror scenes are painted in this country is helping no one — except Putin. The Russian dictator no longer needs to scare us. We’re already doing that, and by doing so, we’re playing exactly the game Putin wants to play with us. Insecurity, self-recrimination and contradiction are the poisonous fruits of the seeds Putin sows in the West. He held out the stick to us and we jumped and jumped and jumped over it until we finally ended up falling on our faces and in a mess.

We should not let it go that far. Of course, it can be even more bitter. The war in Ukraine was terrible for Ukrainians. Compared to the suffering there, the consequences for people in Germany seem manageable – but some of them hit them hard in this country too. Those who already turn over every euro twice may shudder before the next gas bill. Nevertheless, it’s time to pay tribute to those who stay calm in times of crisis and don’t jump at every hurdle.

Olaf Scholes One such. The president has had to take a lot of criticism in recent weeks, including from D-Online. His often wooden communication and sometimes his demonstrative arrogance are out of place. However, he weighs his decisions in dangerous situations while others clamor for the next best solution. He tries to think things through from the end, while other politicians and many journalists only look at it today. After all, he won’t let the screams of doomsday callers take away his position-leadership.

Mario Draghi is one of them. The Italian Prime Minister’s appearance in the Romanian Parliament yesterday was a great moment of clever power politics. “It’s a typical Draghi speech: authoritative in a friendly tone, clear and tough as nails.” Writes “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”. 38 minutes was enough for him to convincingly explain why the country needs stability now and why he can guarantee it. His government may be on the brink of collapse after losing a confidence vote, but he should be very popular in new elections. If you look at the theater around the clown Boris Johnson In Great Britain, autocrats struggle for power with brute force Victor Orban In Hungary or the vain but plundered French president Emmanuel Macron One wishes Europe had more bosses like Scholes and Draghi. It’s an open secret that in times of crisis, tenacity and foresight are more important than smart looks and grand visions.

“Scholes doesn’t fly in a private jet and is certainly married to a less attractive Christian Lindner.” Our columnist Gerhard Spörl writes. “Suggestion: Let’s be happy with our chancellor. Germany gave him a chance and he’s taking it in a very difficult historical situation. Hopefully Mario Draghi will be with him and maybe he’ll soon meet a less fussy British PM than Boris. Johnson. Europe will benefit.”

Yes, you can see it that way.

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