BREAKING DEPENDENCE ON RUSSIA EU CONSIDERING ALTERNATIVES FOR GAS, OIL, AND COAL

(Patria) - Following the start of Russian aggression against Ukraine, the introduction of sanctions by the European Union, the US, Great Britain, and allies against Russia and Vladimir Putin's regime has raised the issue of Europe's energy dependence on Russian gas and oil.

Harsh financial sanctions on Russian banks, oligarchs, and the withdrawal of numerous global companies from Russia and the cessation of any business could lead to a situation where Russia, or Putin, will leave Europe without gas or resort to blackmail by raising prices that already exceed previous maximums. Germany and Italy, the largest users of Russian gas, could be affected. Russia has already reduced the amount of gas via the Jamal pipeline that passes through Poland to Germany.  

Following the severe sanctions imposed on Russia by the West and other countries, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for new international sanctions against Russia, proposing a boycott of Russian oil and other Russian export products, and halting exports to Russia.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met today with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi to discuss energy dependence on Russia.

"We must get rid of our dependence on Russian gas, oil, and coal," Von der Leyen said at a press conference today.

She added that the European Commission will announce three new proposals on this matter on Tuesday.

Russia is one of the main suppliers of crude oil, natural gas, and solid fossil fuels, such as coal, to the European Union (EU).

According to data from the International Energy Agency, the EU imported 155 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia last year, which is about 45 percent of the EU's gas imports and about 40 percent of its total consumption.

The Commission will strive to protect consumers from rising energy prices by restructuring the EU energy market.

Draghi said that his government supports the EU in reducing energy dependence on Russia and added that he spoke with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Saturday about energy cooperation.

In Germany, one of the countries dependent on Russian gas, and after Germany abandoned the certification of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which angered Russia, intensive discussions are underway on measures to mitigate the drastic increase in energy prices and reduce dependence on Russian sources in the long term. The extension of the deadline for the shutdown of German nuclear power plants is also being considered.

"It is technically possible to keep nuclear power plants operational for longer; the question of whether we want to is political," said Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soeder in an interview with the public broadcaster ZDF's morning program.

He believes that extending the operation of nuclear power plants for "three to five" years would help in the process of reducing dependence on Russian energy sources, while simultaneously preserving climate goals.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called for an embargo on the sale of Russian energy resources, the BBC reports.

"The energy sources we import are paying for Russia's military operation," Landsbergis said at a joint meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held today in Vilnius. 

"We cannot pay for oil and gas with the blood of Ukraine," he added.