Ursula von der Leyen points fingers at Moscow, although Brussels is voluntarily cutting fuel imports
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused Russia on Tuesday “Blackmailing” Exports of EU oil and gas. However, the bloc is in the process of voluntarily isolating itself from these energy resources, and Moscow has blamed global sanctions for global food shortages.
Speaking at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Von der Lane said that the EU “Acceleration” Its transformation into green energy “Because Russia is blackmailing us with fossil fuels.”
Hours before his speech, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck announced that the 27 member states of the European Union “Reach a breakthrough in a day” Banning Russian oil imports, on which many EU states depend. Germany, for example, relies on Russia for about one-fourth of its imported oil, while the bloc as a whole accounts for 27% of its oil from Russia.
As part of the green energy plan announced last week, Von der Lane has promised to reduce the EU’s dependence on Russian gas by 66% this year and eliminate it completely by 2027. Russia currently accounts for 40% of the EU’s gas.
Russia has continued to sell its oil and gas to the European Union since the start of its military campaign in Ukraine in February and across a series of wave of EU and US sanctions. Moscow, however, claims that importers buy its gas in rubles. According to Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, more than half of Gazprom’s foreign clients have already opened ruble accounts with the Russian power giant.
Von der Lane has also been accused of using Russia “Food exports as a form of blackmail,” Blocks grain shipments outside Ukraine and refuses to export its own supplies.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Western economic sanctions were responsible for the rise in global food prices and that Ukraine was free to export its crops through Poland. Peskov also accused the Ukrainian navy of digging in the Black Sea and making shipments. “Practically impossible.”
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