Dem Rep. Quigley: Russia Realizes that ‘If There’s Opportunity for Weakness,’ It Comes from Energy Dependence on Them

On Tuesday’s “CNN Newsroom,” Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) said that Russia knows Europe depends on them for energy and sees that “if there’s opportunity for weakness, it comes because of the need for energy.”

Quigley said, “The Russians have always been opportunistic since…the Suez crisis and they see leadership changes in western Europe. They know that winter is coming, literally, even from a political sense, and they know that Europe depends so much on their energy source. They’re not afraid to use that. And the whole Pentagon/Kremlin playbook is in play right now. Disinformation, cyberattacks, use of energy as a coercive force, those are all in play. And I think they recognize that if there’s opportunity for weakness, it comes because of the need for energy.”

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