Western Citizens Should Pay More to Help Germany Get off Russian Gas, Says Former UK Army Chief

Kurt ZindulkaApril 16, 2022

The citizens of Western nations should accept a lower standard of living in order to help Germany break its addiction to Russian gas, the former head of the British army has said.

Despite years of Germany failing to heed warnings from figures such as former President Donald Trump on its reliance on Russia for its energy needs while at the same time demanding protection from Putin by American military might, General Sir Nick Parker has called on the people of Western nations to help Germany by accepting a lower cost of living.

“I think there is probably a need in all of our countries for people to re-prioritise. What has happened is a threat to us all and it’s potentially a very significant threat. And therefore, in order to overcome the threat, we’re going to have to take some pain, but that pain needs to be very clearly explained to people so they understand the context,” the former British Army chief told The Telegraph.

He said that the United Kingdom should “divert our own energy resources to help Germany out,” which Parker acknowledged would further increase the cost of living for the average British citizen at a time of soaring inflation and spiralling energy prices.

Gen Sir Nick, who previously served as Britain’s Commander Land Forces, argued that the cost of living crisis facing the UK and other countries should be rolled into the conversation of “Russian aggression in Ukraine.”

“We need to bring those two things together and really consider whether we need to change or reorder our priorities in order to address the biggest threats that face us,” he argued.

“We may need to go to war. That requires a complete reordering of our national priorities, this would demand a very clear conversation with the public to explain why this is necessary.”

While Germany has reduced its dependence on Russian energy slightly since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, the European Union still sends around approximately €1 billion (£828 million/$1.09 billion) every day to Moscow in energy payments, according the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

At a press conference last week in London with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that his government will attempt to cut off Russian oil imports entirely by the end of the year, saying: “We are actively working to get independent from the import of [Russian] oil and we think that we will be able to make it during this year.”

It is less clear, however, how effective Germany will be in reducing its dependency on Russian natural gas, which still accounts for around 40 per cent of its imports.

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Germany has long been warned of the potential pitfalls of pursuing its radical green agenda while looking to Russia to meet its energy needs, thereby funding the supposed reason for the NATO alliance, which Germany has also consistently failed to meet its spending obligations to.

Former President Donald Trump was a frequent critic of Germany’s two-sided policies, stating in July of 2018: “It is very sad when Germany makes a massive oil and gas deal with Russia, where we’re supposed to be guarding against Russia, and Germany goes and pays out billions and billions of dollars a year to Russia. We’re protecting Germany, we’re protecting France, we’re protecting all of these countries.”

Trump also noted that due to its reliance on Russian gas, Germany had become “captive” to Putin’s regime. Indeed, Germany is currently facing a recession if it attempts to cut off Russian imports and has already seen some of the highest inflation in Europe.

Meanwhile the citizens of Western nations such as the United Kingdom and the United States have been facing decades-high levels of inflation, as a result of massive spending sprees during the Chinese coronavirus lockdowns, sanctions on Russia, and the war in Ukraine.

British and American taxpayer money has heavily subsidised the Ukrainian war effort, with both countries sending billions in military vehicles and weapons.

Yet, the former British Army chief argued that more is needed in order to “defeat Russia,” despite neither country formally declaring war on Russia.

“We need to stop buying their oil and gas, so that those countries that are most dependent need support from those who get their supplies from elsewhere,” Sir Gen Nick said, continuing: “We have to be prepared to intervene in the free market so that existing resources are allocated more ‘fairly’… If we consider the Russian action a long-term threat to world peace, we should be prepared to take this pain for the long-term benefit.”