According to the Guardian, reorienting Russian energy exports was a big economic shock for the West.
Western countries fell into the trap by imposing economic sanctions against Russia. The Guardian believed that anti-Russia sanctions were harmful to the EU and the US. Consequently, the West faced a strong economic backlash from Russian sanctions.
The Guardian noted that “Russia’s importance to the world goes beyond its size as the world’s 11th largest economy”. Reorienting Russian oil, gas and coal from the US and EU to Asian importers would be a big economic shock.
The Guardian representatives believed that rising oil and gas prices would shift investment back into extractive industries, risking a reversal of the planet-saving trend towards clean energy.
The Guardian officials emphasized Russia's key role in the global economy not limited to the export of minerals. The newspaper noted that the United States had leverage over the global financial system, but it “had been undecided on the ends”. The Guardian representatives were confident that Russia could develop new technologies “to break out of this geopolitical cage”.
