Europe Looks to US Support in Phasing Out Russian Energy
The European Union welcomes the US's support for its plans to abandon Russian oil, said EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen, stressing that such support will help accelerate the achievement of energy independence and end the financing of the war in Ukraine.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to Reuters.
The European Union plans to gradually phase out imports of Russian oil and gas by January 1, 2028, in order to sever long-standing energy ties with Moscow and stop financing the war in Ukraine.
EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen noted that US support for this plan would be welcome, although the US administration has not pressured the EU to speed up the process.
It is worth recalling that US President Donald Trump, during a telephone conversation with European leaders, called on Europe to stop purchasing Russian oil, as diplomatic efforts to end the fighting are dragging on.
Jorgensen stressed that Russia is using energy as a weapon and blackmailing member states.
"Not only has Putin weaponised energy against us, blackmailed member states, we are actually also indirectly helping finance Putin's war, and that needs to stop. And if President Trump agrees to that, then that is only a welcome support, because that is certainly our main objective," he said in an interview.
Europe is expected to reduce its purchases of Russian gas to about 13% of its needs this year, compared to about 45% before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
However, Hungary and Slovakia continue to import Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline and oppose the EU's plan to phase out purchases, fearing higher energy prices.
European Council President António Costa said that Hungary accounts for most of the EU's consumption of Russian oil. He stressed that the war in Ukraine could be ended sooner if Hungary stopped importing energy from Russia.
"We have reduced gas and oil consumption from Russia by 80% at the European Union level. It remains at 20%. And we need to work on that. A significant part of that 20% is consumed by Hungary. And the best way to speed up the end of this war is, among other things, for Hungary to stop importing Russian oil and gas from Russia," he said at a press conference with the President of Ukraine in Uzhhorod on Friday.
EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen noted that he is negotiating with the governments of both countries regarding their concerns, but if necessary, most EU countries can approve the plan without the participation of Hungary and Slovakia.
"If, for domestic reasons, there are countries that don't feel that they can support it, then this is not something that demands unanimity," Jorgensen explained.
Next week, he will hold talks with US Energy Secretary Chris Wright on the EU's commitment to purchase $250 billion worth of energy from the US annually as part of a trade agreement.
Analysts note that this volume of purchases is extremely high, as the EU has limited control over energy imports by its companies. One of the proposed solutions is to coordinate the demand of European companies to purchase more American gas.
Read more on The Gaze: Russian Energy Weapon: Lessons from Gas Crises for Europe