Putin threatens Europe again as Brussels braces for winter

The EU’s vigor situation effect is getting bigger, slowly. But so, too, is the menace posed by Russia’s frost connected Europe’s state supply.

A caller bundle of measures to bring down the terms of state and support consumers this wintertime and beyond — including plans to afloat leverage the EU’s corporate buying powerfulness — volition beryllium formally projected by the European Commission adjacent week.

But determination remains uncertainty astir cardinal aspects of the bundle — including whether the preferred involution of galore countries, an EU-wide headdress connected state prices, volition beryllium portion of it, and if so, successful what form. It could besides instrumentality until November to get adjacent week’s proposals afloat signed disconnected and operational, officials said.

Even arsenic vigor ministers deliberated implicit the measures successful Prague connected Wednesday, Russia issued new, veiled warnings astir the depths of Europe’s vulnerability.

Speaking astatine an vigor league successful Moscow, the caput of Gazprom Alexey Miller warned European homes could inactive frost this wintertime adjacent though EU countries person astir filled their state retention capacity.

At the aforesaid event, Vladimir Putin discussed the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines — an enactment that galore Western governments fishy was the enactment of Russia. Then helium added pointedly that the incidental had shown however “any captious infrastructure successful transport, vigor oregon connection infrastructure is nether menace — careless of what portion of the satellite it is located, by whom it is controlled, laid connected the seabed oregon connected land.”

Noting that 1 of the pipelines is inactive perchance operational aft the attack, Putin insisted Russia was acceptable to nonstop state done it to easiness Europe’s symptom this wintertime — bringing his overarching strategy of state blackmail against Europe close up to date.

“The ball, arsenic they say, is connected the broadside of the European Union. If they privation it, fto them conscionable unfastened the tap," Putin said. "We are acceptable to proviso further volumes successful the autumn-winter period.”

Putin whitethorn inactive beryllium hoping that erstwhile the world of wintertime without Russian state begins to bite, European governments volition beryllium much unfastened to specified overtures ­— and much consenting to rein successful enactment for Ukraine successful speech for an vigor lifeline.

For the EU's part, Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson was wide that portion the bloc faced “difficult times,” countries would withstand the challenges up if they “act together, decisively and successful solidarity.”

Speaking astatine the adjacent of an informal acme of EU vigor ministers connected Wednesday, she added that the adjacent situation bundle volition besides incorporate a connection for a caller benchmark terms for state and further measures to trim request crossed the bloc.

But portion a enactment implicit capping the terms of state has dominated the statement successful caller weeks, momentum has shifted to the thought of associated purchasing connected the planetary market. It is hoped that done this measurement the bloc tin debar the concern seen this twelvemonth erstwhile subordinate states outbid 1 different for supplies erstwhile filling state retention facilities ­— driving up the terms for all.

European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson | John Thys/AFP via Getty Images

In an informal argumentation insubstantial issued connected Wednesday, Germany and the Netherlands acceptable however specified a measurement could work, by beefing up the existing EU Energy Platform, which was established months agone but past hardly used. Efforts to bargain state jointly should beryllium coupled with amended EU-wide coordination of state retention adjacent year, the German and Dutch insubstantial said.

The proposals constituent to the grade to which the EU is nary longer simply readying however to past this wintertime without rolling blackouts. It’s present firmly readying for a situation adjacent wintertime too.

Executive Director of the International Energy Agency Fatih Birol, who besides attended Wednesday’s acme successful Prague, warned ministers that “the adjacent wintertime whitethorn good beryllium adjacent much difficult.”

That connection was echoed successful a sobering briefing from the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators, which outlined however challenging 2023 and perchance 2024 could beryllium for the bloc’s vigor supply. Amid an expected surge successful request successful Asia for liquefied earthy state (LNG), the EU volition look greater contention for constricted LNG supplies from sources specified arsenic the U.S. and Qatar.

In short, each molecule of state that remains successful European retention aft this wintertime mightiness beryllium captious — and Vladimir Putin knows it.

Victor Jack and America Hernandez provided further reporting.