Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the EU has continuously strengthened its energy sanctions against Russia. In October last year, the European Council proposed a plan to gradually stop importing Russian natural gas before January 2028. Subsequently, the European Parliament passed a related resolution in December, aiming to basically end the import of Russian natural gas by the end of 2027. In January this year, the European Council further adopted regulations, planning to completely ban the entry of Russian liquefied natural gas into the European market from early 2027.
However, the changing situation has disrupted this plan. The EU originally required member states to submit natural gas supply plans by March 1, but on February 28, the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran, causing a sudden change in the energy market situation.
On March 9, Putin announced that he had already asked the Russian government to assess the possibility of stopping energy supplies to Europe. This was seen as a way to exert pressure on Europe.
At the same time, the US also showed a change in attitude. According to a Reuters report on March 6, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that the US might consider easing sanctions on Russian energy to stabilize the market supply. Trump also mentioned this issue during his call with Putin on March 9.
This means that even if Europe reduces its purchase of Russian energy, Russia can still shift its oil and gas exports to other markets. Putin also clearly stated that in the future, energy that was previously supplied to Europe could be redirected to "more attractive markets".
In this situation, Europe faces a difficult choice. If it continues to adhere to the sanction policy, the pressure on energy supply will continue to increase; if it re-purchases Russian energy, it may weaken the effectiveness of the sanctions against Russia.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1859526872438859/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.