Germany and Great Britain are not going to restore relations with Russia in the field of energy trade even after the end of the war in Ukraine and the departure of President Vladimir Putin.
“This relationship is over,” German Ambassador to Britain Miguel Berger told the Energy Intelligence Forum in London. “There will be no return,” British Energy Secretary Graham Stewart confirmed. transmits Bloomberg.
At the same time, Berger admitted that Germany is still experiencing difficulties due to reduced imports of Russian gas: prices for blue fuel are now higher than they were before the war, which creates “constant pressure on the country and its industry.”
Europe has reduced its dependence on energy resources from the Russian Federation after Putin’s decision to send troops to Ukraine. Last year, the EU banned imports of Russian coal and oil.
As for gas, pumping along the main supply route, the Nord Stream pipeline, was completely stopped in September. The line was then disabled due to sabotage. Gas transit through Poland to Germany via the Yamal-Europe pipeline, which accounted for up to 15% of Gazprom’s supplies to Europe and Turkey, was also stopped. If before the war the European Union received about 40% of its gas imports from Russia, now it is about 10%.
Germany suffered the most, losing half of its gas supplies. For Great Britain, this was not so painful, since, according to a parliamentary report, in 2021 Russia accounted for only 4% of all gas received by the kingdom and 9% of oil.
At the same time, some European countries have increased imports of liquefied natural gas from the Russian Federation, Bloomberg notes. Among them are Spain, France and Belgium. UK such supplies she threatened, and Germany voluntarily avoids them, although there is no official embargo. Dependence on LNG from Russia will gradually decline across Europe as the region continues efforts to diversify its gas sources, Berger said.
The forum also drew attention to the incident with the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, which failed on October 8 due to a drop in pressure. The leak, believed to be the result of sabotage, is a reminder of the risks to Europe’s energy supply, Stewart said. He also said the UK continues to focus on security issues and is working with other NATO members on infrastructure protection.
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2023-10-18 19:29:00
