US billionaire George Soros warned on Tuesday that civilization “may not survive” the war in Ukraine, but said Europe may be in “a stronger position” than it thinks regarding Russian gas.
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“The invasion (of Ukraine by Russia) may have been the start of World War III and our civilization may not survive it,” he said in a speech at the dinner that it traditionally organizes in Davos (Switzerland) on the sidelines of the meeting of the World Economic Forum.
“The best and only way to preserve our civilization is to defeat (Russian President Vladimir) Putin as soon as possible,” he insisted.
The EU is currently struggling to agree on a new package of sanctions against Moscow, in particular because some of its member states are very dependent on Russian hydrocarbons for their energy supply and are therefore reluctant to tackle it.
“I think Putin is very smart and kind of blackmails Europe by threatening to cut off the gas. But in reality, his case is less solid than he claims,” Mr Soros said.
He argues that Russia voluntarily created a shortage situation last winter by storing its gas rather than sending it to Europe, which has driven up prices, but also filled its tanks which will be “full by July. “.
The Russian president “is in a crisis, and he somehow managed to terrify Europe.” But “he is in a tense situation. He must do something with this gas, and the only place that can absorb it, because there are pipelines, is Europe,” argues the billionaire.
He said he explained this in a letter to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, to which he said he had not yet received a response.