Zelensky: Europe must further cut energy dependence on Russia
Europe must become even more independent of Russia for its energy supply, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said. He suggested that the Middle East and North Africa could serve as alternative energy suppliers.
This weekend, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia officially disconnected from the Russian electricity grid. The three countries are now linked to the European network through Poland. "Moscow will no longer be able to use energy as a weapon against the Baltic countries," Zelensky said in a video message on Sunday evening.
"This is the path that we all in Europe must follow," he said, pointing in particular to Central European nations that still have energy agreements with Russia. "We need to work more with America, LNG, gas, oil. We need to work more with our partners in the neighbouring countries of the European Union to import the necessary energy."
Turning to other suppliers
As part of his vision for energy independence, Zelensky highlighted the potential of energy suppliers in the Caucasus, the Middle East and North Africa. "The less the Europeans depend on Russia, the faster we can guarantee reliable security for everyone in Europe."
Since the start of this year, Russian gas has stopped flowing to Europe through Ukraine. Zelensky refused to renew the transit contract, aiming to cut off a key revenue stream for Russia. He also urged the EU to step up pressure on Moscow over its shadow fleet of tankers, which he described as operating "against us, against all of Europe."
Ukraine is calling for sanctions against the captains of these ships. "That must be supported at the European level," he said.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky © PHOTO HANDOUT / UKRAINE PRESIDENCY / AFP
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