Ursula von der Leyen excluded that, in no case, the possibility of regaining the purchases of Russian fossil fuels after the end of the war in Ukraine, warning that this would represent a “error of historical dimensions” for Europe.
“To be very clear: the era of Russian fossil fuels in Europe ends,” the president of the European Commission said on Wednesday as it was addressed to Strasbourg legislators.
His categorical refusal occurs in the mid -downside of Donald Trump to conclude a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, an effort that saw the White House embrace many points of discussion of the Kremlin, including its pretensions to Crimea and the occupied territories.
Trump's diplomacy has attracted speculations that Russian energy could be part of a future regulation, given the fundamental role that fossil fuel exports play in Moscow's budget and Vladimir Putin's desire to rekindle its precarious economy.
For decades, the EU was the greatest customer in Russia, but the commercial relationship of several billion collapsed at the beginning of 2022 after Putin launched the large -scale invasion. Since then, the block has adopted unprecedented measures to reduce the consumption of Russian fossil fuels, including radical carbon and maritime oil prohibitions.
With American officials who publicly plunge the prospect of sanctions such as an incentive to ensure that the Russian president accepts a lasting cease-fire, which he has so far pushed, the own set of EU restrictions is about to be the subject of a meticulous examination.
According to the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, the in progress rapprochement between Washington and Moscow addressed the future of the north flow pipelines, which connect Russia and Germany and are currently closed.
“It will probably be interesting for Americans to use their influence on Europe and force it not to refuse Russian gas,” said Lavrov at the end of March.
But Wednesday, Von der Leyen firmly drawn a red line in the sand.
“Some people always say that we should reopen the Russian gas and petroleum tap. It would be an error of historical dimensions. And we will never let it happen,” she said.
“Russia has proven, repeatedly, it is not a reliable supplier. Putin has already cut the gas flows to Europe in 2006, 2009, 2014, 2021, and throughout the war. How many times before learning the lesson?” She continued.
“The dependence on Russia is not only bad for our security, but also for our economy. Our energy prices cannot be dictated by a hostile neighbor.”
An ambitious roadmap
Despite the collective company, some Russian fuels are still heading in the block economy. Last year, the 27 Member States spent 23 billion euros on Russian energy, exceeding the amount of military assistance provided to Ukraine.
The flow of liquefied natural gas (LNG) have become a source of friction, as they not only continued without the moment but moved to even higher volumes.
According to the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), imports from RUSS in 2024 increase 9% compared to the previous year. Almost 90% of these purchases arrived in France (7.7 BCM), Spain (5.7 BCM) and Belgium (5.1 BCM).
ADVERTISEMENT“Russia depends extremely on the EU market for its gas exports, providing 52% of its LNG export income,” CREA said in an April report.
Seeking to fill the remaining gaps, the commission presented an ambitious roadmap To eliminate all Russian energy purchases, including LNG, pipeline oil and nuclear materials, by the end of 2027 at the latest.
The new plan provides for a ban on Russian gas imports that EU companies will use to invoke force majeure and break the long -term contracts with suppliers. These contracts are governed under “taking or paying” conditions which involve heavy penalties for non-compliance.
Unlike sanctions, which require unanimity and are vulnerable to national vetos, the ban on Russian gas will be based on energy and commercial policy, where only a qualified majority is necessary. Hungary and Slovakia, two countries without coastline that still count on Moscow, have already criticized the roadmap, saying that this would endanger the competitiveness of the EU.
ADVERTISEMENTSpeaking before the European Parliament, an institution which has long called for the complete elimination of Russian fuels, Von der Leyen has stuck to its strategy, representing it as an essential element to guarantee a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
“We have to do our best to strengthen the hand of Ukraine. Because we have all seen how Russia negotiate. They bomb. They intimidate. They bury promises under rubble,” she said.
“Putin wants to force Ukraine to accept the unacceptable. Thus, the task we are faced with is to help Ukraine remain strong, to challenge Putin's intimidation and to engage in peace talks according to its own conditions.”
