Retired British Major General Simon Marial told Radio Times that the Europeans could withdraw their support for Ukraine if they implement the European Commission’s plan to cut gas consumption by 15%.
He added: “If this happens under such circumstances, the Europeans will begin to doubt the effectiveness of the sanctions imposed by the West on Russia.”
He noted that the sanctions “will have a direct impact on voters, citizens and those who follow Russia’s responses, and, of course, Western sanctions against Moscow. One can imagine that some will begin to doubt whether we should participate in all this and support the Ukrainians, given that we may have problems with the supply of grain, etc.
He also ruled out the possibility of a direct military conflict between Russia and NATO.
It is noteworthy that the European Commission on July 20 proposed new measures to reduce gas demand, including a voluntary 15% reduction in consumption by all member states for the period from August 1 to March 31, 2023.
Some countries opposed this proposal, including Hungary, Portugal, Spain and Greece.
Source: RIA Novosti