The US shows its “great fear” with a Russian measure
Europe is largely dependent on Russian gas. Last year, 40% of gas imports from the old continent came from Moscow. That Russia cuts the supply to Europe is a real threat for the allies. That the tap be closed definitively, a setback for which the European Union (EU) is not yet prepared.
This Monday Gazprom announced that it will reduce the supply of the Nord Stream to Germany to 20% of its capacity. As some European countries depend more than others on Russian gas, Washington fears that European forces will begin to divide. “It was our greatest fear,” admitted the US presidential coordinator for global energy, Amos Hochstein.
In addition to a split in Europe, the reduction in Russian gas supply may cause an exponential growth in the price of natural gas and electricity in the United States, according to Hochstein. The European response has arrived this Tuesday with an energy plan that shows the unity of the old continent.
The EU has presented this Tuesday a plan that aims to reduce gas demand by 15% but that includes derogations to respond to the situation of each country, as requested by Spain and other nations. The EU energy ministers have managed to close the political agreement, adapted to the requests of the Member States, following an initial cold reception from the majority of delegations.