The conflict in Ukraine will escalate further and energy problems haunting Europe this autumn will be just the preliminary “triage” before next year’s winter, which will be a key test, according to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
Vucic gave his bleak outlook, carried by Serbian news website Danas, after meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Budapest on Monday.
“I expect a growing volume of the conflict in Ukraine and the pressure on energy and economy will also increase,” Vucic said.
“That is why it is important to prepare for the period ahead of us, which will last longer than six months.”
This winter, according to Vucic, “will only be a triage, the small and the weak will collapse by 31 March, and those stronger will go on until the next winter. But the key will actually be in surviving that next winter,” he said.
The most important struggle, he added, “will be to keep prices of electricity and gas low, not only for citizens but also for companies, so that they don’t lose their market position.”
