Russian invasion may be start of WW3 - Soros

Russian invasion may be start of WW3 - Soros

US billionaire George Soros has warned that "civilisation may not survive" the Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying it may have marked "the beginning of the Third World War", Qazet.az reports.

Speaking at a dinner last night on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the investor and philanthropist said the war has shaken Europe to its core.

He urged the world to "use all our resources to bring the war to an early end," adding "the best and perhaps only way to preserve our civilisation is to defeat Putin as soon as possible".

Europe was also in a stronger position than it thought, with regards to its dependence on Russian gas, he added.

Putin had put gas in storage instead of exporting it to Europe, creating a shortage. But Russia will run out of storage space by July and would have no choice but to sell to Europe, which is its only market, Soros pointed out.

"I think Putin has been very clever in sort of blackmailing Europe, threatening to cut off the gas, but actually his case is much less strong than he pretends," he said.