NATO secretary general warns Putin faces risk of 'revolution' over oil crisis
Ukraine's attacks on Russia's oil and gas refineries are posing a serious issue for the Kremlin, according to NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte.
Rutte explained that, unlike other threats to the West, including from China, which has a "diversified economy," Russia is entirely dependent on its petroleum. Ukraine's succession of attacks on various sites throughout Russia has created a "considerable issue" for Russian leaders, who have kept their people at bay so far.
Kyiv has launched a series of attacks deep within Russian territory on its oil and gas refineries, with estimates suggesting at least 17% of the country's oil supply has been wiped out by Ukraine.
However, Rutte warns that the Russian people may revolt if the depletion of oil supplies, leading to queues at gas stations, is not addressed.
"China has a diversified economy, Russia has not. Russia is a petrol-based economy, which is now creating considerable issues for Putin because Ukraine has been successful in hitting, with drones, some of the key Russian oil refineries andthat's now having a big impact on the Russian economy," Rutte said during a panel at West Point
"You see queues now at the gasoline station," he noted, remarking, "If it happened in the U.S., you would have a revolution. If you cannot fill up your cars, I think 1776 would happen again.
However, he added, "In Russia, so far, they've been able to cope with this."
Rutte cautions spectators against concluding that Ukraine's successful attacks can necessarily bring an end to the war, which entered its third year with no end in sight after several failed peace talks following Russia's invasion in February 2022.
"Putin shows no sign of ending the war. Russia pounds Ukraine daily. Increasing pressure is the only way to get him to negotiate," Rutte warned. "The war shows we still need well-trained, motivated, equipped soldiers.
"Not every conflict ends with negotiation: WWII we won, Cold War we won with Reagan and Thatcher," he continued. "In Ukraine, it'll most likely end through negotiations.
He added, stipulating, "Zelensky needs to know his country is protected after peace or ceasefire."
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