WhatsappEurope is scrambling as Russia stopped sending gas to Poland and Bulgaria when they failed to pay for Gazprom in roubles. The two countries like the rest of the EU called Putin’s bluff, figuring he wouldn’t keep his word – they guessed wrong.
“Gazprom has completely suspended gas supplies to Bulgargaz and PGNiG due to absence of payments in roubles,” a statement issued by the company said.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, condemned the move. She made it clear that fellow EU countries would come to Poland and Bulgaria’s aid.
“The announcement by Gazprom that it is unilaterally stopping delivery of gas to customers in Europe is yet another attempt by Russia to use gas as an instrument of blackmail. This is unjustified and unacceptable. And it shows once again the unreliability of Russia as a gas supplier. We are prepared for this scenario. We are in close contact with all member states.”
Gazprom has also said it would stop using the two countries to transfer gas to others such as Germany if it discovered any withdrawal of volumes from pipelines.
“Bulgaria and Poland are transit states,” Gazprom said. “In the event of unauthorized withdrawal of Russian gas from transit volumes to third countries, supplies for transit will be reduced by this volume.”
The Polish gas company PGNiG confirmed that supply from Russia had stopped.
Putin’s goal has been to force Europe to switch from the dollar to the rouble, triggering hyperinflation in the west, causing the dollar to the tank. Europe was not interested in playing ball with Putin and for the first time ever, the EU countries stand a real chance of serious economic collapse and societal upheaval.
In a sense the EU is trapped, sticking with the dollar sees their gas shut off and if they switch to the rouble their economies begin to collapse due to hyperinflation as the dollar tanks.
2022 is a paradigm-shifting year. Americans and much of the West have been sleepwalking as their enemies have been planning the gordian knot they find themselves in. A new world order is forming whether the West likes it or not. No amount of alternative energy sources are enough to sustain the sort of consumer society Americans and Europeans are used without a surplus of oil and gas.
