The leaders of Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands said on Monday that Europe was heavily dependent on Russian energy supplies to halt overnight imports as part of any sanctions package in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
Energy exports are a major source of income for Russia, and there are growing calls for an oil and gas embargo to increase pressure on the Kremlin.
However, German Chancellor Olaf Solz said that although Berlin had backed tough measures against Moscow, Russian energy supplies remained “essential” to everyday life in Europe.
“Europe’s energy supply for heating, mobility, electricity and industry can not be secured otherwise at this time,” Scholz said in a statement.
Russia is Germany’s largest gas supplier, currently accounting for 38% of imports, according to government statistics. Natural gas accounts for about one-fifth of German energy production.
A “step by step” process.
On Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said reducing dependence on Russian oil and gas was “the right thing to do” but needed to be done in a “step-by-step” process.
“We need to make sure we have a replacement supply. One of the things we are looking at is the possibility of using more of our own hydrocarbons,” Johnson told a news conference after talks with his Dutch and Canadian counterparts in London.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trindade announced a halt to Russian oil imports last week. However, Canada is the fourth largest oil producer in the world and its imports from Russia were comparatively negligible.
Although the United Kingdom relies much less on Russian gas than other countries in Europe, Johnson said it was important “for everyone to move in the same direction.”
“There are different dependencies in different countries and we have to be aware of that,” he said. “You can not just stop using oil and gas overnight, even from Russia.”
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told a news conference that Europe’s weaning from Russian energy “would take time” and that it was a “painful reality” that Europeans were still “heavily dependent” on Russian gas and oil.
The EU is looking for alternatives in Russia
German Chancellor Schultz said the dependence was the reason why Europe had “deliberately excluded” Russian energy supplies from sanctions packages, allowing energy trade to continue.
Scholz added that Germany and its EU partners had been working “at full speed” for months to develop alternatives to Russian energy. “However, this cannot be done overnight,” he said.
Last week, Germany said it would take steps to diversify its energy supply from Russia by announcing an order for 1.5 billion euros ($ 1.6 billion) for non-Russian liquefied natural gas and a possible slowdown in its outflow. coal.
At a summit scheduled for Thursday in France, EU leaders are expected to announce a gradual “gradual cessation” of oil and gas imports from Russia. The European Commission is also expected to release a plan this week to reduce its dependence on Russian gas.
The US wants faster action
For the United States, Europe’s gradual rapprochement can be very slow.
Washington is pushing for a more immediate ban on Russian energy imports, although as a major producer of gas and oil, the United States is far less dependent on Russian sources for Europe.
As US lawmakers debated a swift oil embargo from Russia, US President Joe Biden held a teleconference on Monday with the leaders of Germany, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The four European leaders simply promised to “continue to increase the cost to Russia of its unprovoked and unwarranted invasion”, without specifying how.
wmr / msh (Reuters, dpa, AFP)
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