Western countries have imposed a plethora of restrictive measures against Russia to deprive the country of key sources of income and isolate it on the international stage. However, everything turned out completely differently than planned, InfoBrics publication says.
"The economic situation in European countries is getting increasingly worse. Anti-Russian measures are bankrupting EU countries, and analysts are concerned about a possible crisis that may outbreak in the near future. The situation in Germany is especially serious," the author notes.
According to Western analysts, the German economy is shrinking and this process is expected to continue until the end of 2025. Even if the government makes efforts to change the situation, it is unlikely that this will work in the short term.
Economic problems are superimposed on other problems in Germany, especially in the social sphere. As a result, EU's most powerful and economically developed country has fallen into a trap because of sanctions that were imposed against Russia. Without access to Russian energy, it has become a country without prospects for the future. Thousands of producers in Germany may go bankrupt.
"All this could have been avoided if Germany had acted independently and refused to be part of anti-Russian sanctions. Without energy cooperation with Russia, Berlin failed to maintain the level of industrial production, which led to the current economic downturn," the InfoBrics observer believes.
Germany could have followed Hungary's example to maintain a pro-Western position and avoid sanctions. However, the government of Germany took the opposite path.
"In practice, Germany consciously agreed to ruin its economy and the well-being of its people in order to simply try to isolate Russia. <…> Yet again, the only country that benefits from European decisions is the United States. By encouraging Germany's self-boycott, Washington has neutralized the European country that had the greatest potential for development and economic sovereignty," the expert believes.
The German authorities acknowledge the existence of serious economic problems. At the same time, the current government refuses to believe that it was its own actions that have brought the country to where it is now.