The President of the European Commission, von der Leyen, has said that Russia has reduced or stopped gas supplies to 12 EU countries.
However, as von der Leyen noted, the collective agreement of the EU member states to reduce gas consumption by 15% is very important, as it will help the EU to replenish its reserves before winter.
“We have to prepare for a big reduction or complete cessation of Russian gas. Now the EU communicates with more reliable partners. The EU receives more and more gas from Norway, the Persian Gulf countries and the Caspian Sea region, and the results are already visible,” she said.
In addition, the EU’s top representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Joseph Borrell, said that EU member states’ gas purchases from Russia have decreased by two times.
“Before the war, the import of Russian gas was 40%, now it is 20%… No one can ask the European economy to reduce the import of Russian gas in one hour,” Borel said.
On July 26, the European Commission made a decision to voluntarily reduce gas consumption by 15%, which will come into force on August 1 of this year and will be effective until March 31, 2023. The refusal of Russian gas is connected with the invasion of Ukraine and the start of a large-scale war.
