Invasion of Ukraine could be the beginning of the “third world war”, says George Soros George Soros

Russian invasion of Ukraine This threatens to become the “beginning of World War III”, which could mean the end of civilization, warns veteran philanthropist and former financier George Soros.

У fierce attack on Vladimir Putin and Of China Xi Jinping warned at the World Economic Forum in Davos that autocratic regimes are on the rise and the world economy is depressed.

Soros, who has become a figure of hatred for the hard right in the United States, also strongly criticized the former German chancellor Angela Merkel for the comfort of Moscow and Beijing.

The mood in Davos is already depressed because of the war UkraineSoros raised the gloomy rhetoric to new heights.

“The invasion may have been the beginning of World War III, and our civilization may not survive it,” he said.

“The invasion of Ukraine did not happen out of nowhere. The world is increasingly struggling between two systems of government, diametrically opposed to each other: open society and closed society.

The 91-year-old former hedge fund owner said that after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001, the situation began to turn against the open society. . Today China and Russia pose the greatest threat to an open society ”.

Soros, who led the speculative financial attack that led to pound from the European exchange rate mechanism 30 years ago, Europe responded well to the crisis caused by the Russian invasion.

“It will take a long time to work out the details, but Europe seems to be moving in the right direction. She responded to the invasion of Ukraine with greater speed, unity and energy than ever before in her history. “

He added: “But Europe’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels remains excessive, largely due to the mercantilist policies pursued by former Chancellor Angela Merkel. It has entered into special deals with Russia for gas supplies and made China Germany’s largest export market. This has made Germany the best economy in Europe, but now you have to pay a high price. Germany’s economy needs to be reoriented. And it will take a long time. “

Soros said Putin had obtained Xi’s consent to the Russian invasion at the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in early February. But he insisted that the Chinese leader was not as strong as he thought.

“Si hides a guilty secret. He never told the Chinese that they had been vaccinated with a vaccine that was developed for the original version of Wuhan and offered very little protection against the new versions. ”

Soros said Xi could not “confess” because he was in a delicate moment in his career. “His second term ends in the fall of 2022, and he wants to be appointed to an unprecedented third term, which will eventually make him a lifelong leader.”

Of China locks According to him, the fight against Covid-19 pushed the economy to free fall, but Xi could not admit that he made a mistake.

“Against the background of the real estate crisis, the damage will be so great that it will affect the world economy. With supply disruptions, global inflation could turn into a global depression. ”

Contrary to popular expectations, Xi may not get the coveted third term because of mistakes he made, Soros predicted.

“While the war is raging, the fight against climate change must take second place. But experts tell us we are already far behind, and climate change on the verge of irreversible. This could be the end of our civilization.

“Therefore, we must mobilize all our resources to end the war early. The best and perhaps only way to save our civilization is to defeat Putin as soon as possible. That’s the point. “