On Thursday (October 27), Russian President Vladimir Putin mocked the German government after the latter’s sanctions against Russia backfired on itself. He made the remarks during an interview at the Valdai Discussion Club, a Moscow-based think tank. It is notable that European nations are facing a severe energy crisis as they are dependent on Russian oil and gas, and their sanctions against Russia has hampered the supply of vital energy sources.
The Russian president took potshots at the decision of the European Union (EU) member to sanction Russia, without realising the consequences it would have on its own citizens. Germany is currently reeling under an energy crisis and needs billions to solve it- a situation further aggravated by the lack of sale of government bonds.
“Now a joke came to my mind that I was recently telling to my colleagues…A German friend told it to me the other day,” Putin remarked. “A son asks his father: Daddy, why is our house so cold? Father says: Because Russia attacked Ukraine,” he said.
‘Daddy, why our house is so cold?’-Putin jokes about EU sanctions pic.twitter.com/4HhzniBFXF
— AZ 🛰🌏🌍🌎 (@AZgeopolitics) October 28, 2022
“The child asks, “What does it have to do with us?” Father: We imposed sanctions against Russians. Child: Why? Father: To make the Russians feel bad. Child: Are we Russians?” Vladimir Putin concluded.
In just a few lines, the Russian President held the mirror to the German government for agonising its own citizens in the hopes of ‘crippling’ Russia economically.
The situation in Germany is so grim that the country is forced to shut down its street lights to save energy. Despite this, an adamant German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made it clear that sanctions would continue – even at the expense of its own citizens. Germans are fearing a brutal winter this hear, as most homes in the country are heated using natural gas sourced from Russia. But now Russian gas supply has gone down considerably due to the damage to the Nord Stream pipelines, and also due to Russia restricting gas exports.
Future belongs to India’: Vladimir Putin lauds PM Modi’s independent foreign policy
During his address on October 27, Vladimir Putin praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s independent foreign policy. He implied that a lot has been done under Modi’s leadership in India and hailed him a patriot of the country.
“A lot has been done under the leadership of PM Modi. He is a patriot of his country. His idea of ‘Make in India‘ matters both economic wise and in ethics. Future belongs to India, it can also be proud of the fact that it’s the largest democracy in the world,” Putin said at Valdai Discussion Club.
The Russian president called India’s transformation from a British colony to a modern state “tremendous,” adding that the country’s 1.5 billion people and visible development results deserve everyone’s respect and admiration.
