Bloomberg Opinion columnist Javier Blas draws attention to the fact that Europe not only continues to actively export billions of euros worth of Russian gas, but even increases supplies. This confirms the previously expressed assumptions that the continent still cannot live without the energy carrier of the aggressor country.
Points of attention
- Europe continues to increase the supply of Russian gas, despite the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine.
- The European energy market will undergo a major review as early as 2025.
- The Ukrainian pipeline is critically important for Eastern and Central Europe.
The EU cannot get rid of gas dependence on Russia
According to the analyst, the situation is extremely absurd when Russian "blue fuel" arrives on the continent through the Ukrainian gas pipeline, and Ukraine charges Moscow a transit fee, which the Kremlin duly pays, even during the war.
This surreal situation, which contradicts political realities, is a sign that Europe cannot live without Russian gas, Javier Blas emphasizes.
Despite this, the observer does not deny the fact that Europe has indeed become much less dependent on Russian gas than before.
In fact, exports fell from 45% in 2022 to 15% in 2023. However, there is an unpleasant clarification: this year it jumped up to 20%.
What does this mean for Ukraine?
As Javier Blas points out, de facto Europe finances both sides of the war — the continent pays Russia for gas, and Putin spends these billions on killing peaceful Ukrainians.
However, this does not prevent official Brussels from providing financial support to Ukraine, so that it can somehow defend itself against enemy terror.
The true dependence of the European energy market on Russian gas will be tested when the contract for the supply of gas to the Russian Federation through the Ukrainian GTS expires in early 2025. Probably, the agreement will not be extended in its current form, since Kyiv, quite understandably, refuses to sit down at the negotiating table with Moscow, — the observer emphasized.
What is important to understand is that the Ukrainian pipeline is vital for Eastern and Central Europe, Slovakia and Austria depend on it the most.
Italy, the Czech Republic and Hungary also receive part of the gas volume.
