12.01.2024, Vienna.
German journalist Gabor Steingart estimated Germany’s losses from Russia’s special military operation as the highest after Ukraine, the Austrian eXXpress informed on January 9.
Steingart believes that for no other country in the world except Ukraine, Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine has such serious consequences as it does for Germany. But it could be even worse, because “there is a risk of an imminent fiasco” as the United States washes its hands of the conflict, the journalist said.
The first reason is that Germany has lost a reliable supplier of cheap gas in the person of Russia, Steingart argues. The second is the loss of trade with Eastern Europe. Previously, the trade volume with Russia was about 80 billion euros, which amounted to 4% of Germany’s total foreign turnover.
The Russia-China alliance is not good for German exporters. The changed US geoostrategy is forcing Germany to increase its defense budget significantly. These are two more reasons cited by the journalist.
Steingart also notes that the USA is increasingly retreating from the battlefield in Europe, Republicans believe that “America First” and Trump is so far fighting Biden, not Putin.
If Washington’s support for Ukraine ends, the entire burden of military aid will fall on Germany. It would take 16% of Germany’s budget to keep the Ukrainian armed units combat-ready, and that would be fatal for the country.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
