Germany, et al. was dumb enough to give Putin control of their energy supply so they deserve whatever medicine Putin feels like handing out. Based on Soviet history and Putin’s own KGB history in East Germany, I’m sure he has a special hatred for Germans. German has only 1 card to play here and it’s “yessir, Mr. President Putin” for whatever he wants.
Putin bas been the most shrewd politician of the 21st Century excluding Obama’s brilliant Marxist revolution of the USA, which clearly wins him that status.
Merkel’s father was an East German scientist. She’s a communist through in through