Opinion: Europeans need that cheap Russian energy

Two of the greatest miscalculations made by NATO and the Collective West regarding the Ukraine Project are that the Russian economy would collapse as a result of the economic sanctions imposed on it and that the Russian army would collapse when the Spring Counter-Offensive launched its drive to Melitopol and the Sea of Azov, to cut off Crimea.

After more than 10 increasingly restrictive sets of sanctions, international institutions including the World Bank as well as Bloomberg’s financial publication predict economic growth of around 3% for the Russian economy in 2024. Meanwhile, the much-vaunted counter-offensive never made it past what is called the gray zone, to reach the main Russian defensive lines. Neither of these realities has stopped the Biden administration from claiming otherwise.

Another canard, routinely touted by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, is the successful achievement of Europe “weaning” itself off of Russian gas. Europe has weaned itself off of cheap, reliable Russian gas because someone, who shall remain nameless, blew up the Nord Stream pipeline. One result of this “weaning” was the major increase in the price of gas to German industries as noted in a November 2023 article by well-known German economist Robin Brooks. Gas delivered by pipeline is much cheaper than liquified natural gas delivered by ship.

Brooks notes that Germany was a formidable economic engine whose per capita Gross Domestic Product grew in line with that of the US for the last two decades. Germany is now falling behind rapidly. To remedy this situation, Brooks recommends regime change in Moscow. You read that correctly. “Once Putin is gone, Germany can start buying Russian gas again.” Brooks believes that to prosper, Germany needs cheap, reliable Russian energy.

Let’s review what has happened to energy in Europe. The Russians, at the behest of the Germans, built Nord Stream to provide cheap, reliable gas for German industry. This became known to the West as Putin “weaponizing” energy. To prevent further weaponization of this energy, someone blew up Nord Stream, thus “weaning” Europe off of cheap, reliable Russian energy. This caused the price of gas to skyrocket. To remedy the situation Germany needs some different Russian leader, who shall remain nameless, to become head of state. This new Russian leader will not weaponize energy, but will once again provide Europe with cheap, reliable Russian energy.

You can’t make this stuff up.

Rube Render is a former Clovis city commissioner and former chair of the Curry County Republican Party. Contact him:

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