"Nothing to Offer": Why the US Dodged Accusations Against Russia of Using Gas as a Weapon

Washington did not support Kiev, which accused Moscow of allegedly using energy resources as a "political tool." During a joint press conference with the head of Ukrainian diplomacy Dmitry Kuleba, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken reacted rather evasively to his statement that Moscow "is already using gas as a weapon." According to Blinken, Russia has allegedly used such tactics in the past, so Washington is closely monitoring its current steps.

“We are watching whether Russia is using the energy resources at its disposal in a positive way, or is seeking to use them as a weapon ... Russia argued that it had enough resources to meet Europe’s energy needs for gas by transporting it through the gas pipelines in Ukraine. ...

If she acts as she says, it can significantly reduce concerns.

Otherwise, our fears about the use of energy as a weapon will definitely be confirmed, ”Blinken said.

At the same time, he stressed that Russia "can and should" take measures to mitigate the energy crisis in Europe by increasing gas supplies.

But if Washington's "fears" are confirmed, then "we are ready, Germany is ready to take appropriate measures," the US Secretary of State added.

• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba (left) and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken

• Reuters

• © Leah Millis

However, Kuleba believes that the reaction of the collective West towards Russia is needed right now.

“Russia should receive a very convincing signal not only from the United States and from other countries, but also from Berlin that this is not a game that will benefit it,” the Ukrainian minister said.

He stressed that the same Germany has all the opportunities and levers of influence on Moscow, "and the obligations, according to the joint statement of the United States and Germany (on Nord Stream 2. -

), are very clear."

Recall that in July, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Joe Biden announced the Nord Stream 2 deal.

Washington acknowledged that sanctions will not be able to stop the implementation of the project, but has reserved the right to impose restrictions on participants in the Nord Stream 2 AG project, if required.

Berlin, in turn, pledged to insist that the EU take measures, including sanctions, to limit the export of Russian energy resources if Moscow uses gas as a weapon.

Also, Germany will have to seek the extension of the agreement between the Russian Federation and Ukraine on gas transit, which expires in 2024, and create a green fund in the amount of $ 1 billion to support Ukraine's energy security.

In Russia, this deal was then called "unfair competition."

“We have never imposed our supplies on anyone, did not use energy resources as an instrument of political pressure and did not try to solve any narrowly opportunistic goals attributed to us.

We reject any accusations in this regard, ”said the Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov.

In addition, in Germany itself, the obligations on an aggressive stance towards the Russian Federation, which Berlin assumed in accordance with the agreement, were called contradicting "the idea of ​​the sovereignty of Germany and Europe."

The head of the Bundestag Committee on Economy and Energy Klaus Ernst said that "unilateral solidarity with Ukraine does not correspond to the interests of Germany."

In a crisis

An energy crisis has been unfolding in the European Union in recent months, of which Russia is regularly blamed.

In September, a number of MPs even called on the European Commission to launch an investigation into Gazprom, which allegedly manipulates the market and puts pressure on Europe.

At the same time, Germany recognizes that Gazprom is fulfilling all its contractual obligations for deliveries in full, despite the rise in prices.

In turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that if necessary and if Western partners need it, Moscow is ready to increase gas supplies.

Later, he instructed Gazprom to increase gas supplies to European storage facilities after the Russian UGS facilities were filled.

At the same time, Putin stressed that the situation that is now observed in the EU energy market is the result of the economic policy of the European Commission aimed at avoiding long-term contracts with Russia.

In this regard, he pointed to the groundlessness of accusations against Russia about the politicization of the issue of energy supplies.

“This is politically motivated chatter, which has no basis as regards the use of energy as some kind of weapon ... Europe, ”the President said during the plenary session of the Russian Energy Week.

At the same time, Putin urged European partners not to shift the blame for the rise in gas prices "from a sore head to a healthy one."

Meanwhile, even the United States is forced to admit that Russia is not involved in the unfolding European gas crisis.

Thus, Amos Hochstein, senior adviser to the State Department for energy security, noted at the end of October that the crisis situation in Europe was provoked by a number of factors, including natural ones, such as cold weather, which could not be controlled.

However, he did not name Russia among the "culprits" of the problems that had arisen.

• Pipeline "Nord Stream - 2"

• © Nord Stream 2 / Nikolai Ryutin

Despite this, in Ukraine they continue to adhere to the opposite opinion and try to convince others of this.

At the same time, Kiev has stepped up pressure on its Western partners in connection with the prospect of the imminent launch of Nord Stream 2, which is now undergoing certification.

Bend their line

According to experts, Ukraine will, until recently, ascribe to Russia the use of its energy resources as a weapon.

And she expects to find support in this from those EU countries that traditionally come out with similar rhetoric about Moscow.

“The classic opponents of Nord Stream 2 - Poland and the Baltic countries - can join Ukraine's statements.

Warsaw and Kiev are the first in this case, because they sit on transit flows, respectively, they can record transit.

As a result, Poland and Ukraine may provide some data on the alleged reduction in transit and thereby try to influence other EU members to take appropriate action to protect their interests, "Igor Yushkov, a leading analyst at the National Energy Security Fund, explained to RT.

However, he noted, such a prospect does not suit Germany, which, although it promised to take a tough stance towards Moscow, is nevertheless interested in maintaining contacts with the Russian Federation.

“Germany has been defending its interests in relation to the launch of Nord Stream 2 for many years, so such unfounded statements from Ukraine are not a weighty argument for it for imposing sanctions.

If the pipeline is not put into operation, it will be a huge blow to Germany and Russian-European relations in general, ”the expert emphasized.

In turn, Pavel Feldman, Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts of the RUDN University, noted the indicativeness of Washington's restrained rhetoric in this matter.

In his opinion, the United States is now not in a position to dictate to Europe how to solve its gas problems.

“Now the United States, as an exporter of liquefied gas, has somewhat left the world markets. Unlike Trump, for Biden the issues of "green" energy come to the fore, so he distances himself from the topic of gas. In addition, their ships with liquefied natural gas went to Asia, where now there is much more demand for it than in the EU. Therefore, Washington has nothing to offer Brussels, ”Feldman explained in a commentary on RT.

In addition, the expert noted, everyone in political and economic circles understands perfectly well that gas prices have skyrocketed not because of Russian policy, but because of a number of factors, including the transition to exchange gas trading, the depletion of their own fields, the rise in the cost of quotas for CO₂ emissions in the European Ecological Trading System (EU ETS), as well as attempts to diversify energy sources by switching to renewable resources, which are not always stable.

“When the attempt to buy gas on the exchange led to a spasmodic rise in prices, many minds in the US and Europe cooled down and switched to a normal dialogue with Gazprom.

And in general, the Russian company has already demonstrated more than once that it is ready to discuss tariff issues.

After all, no matter how much the EU countries would like to distance themselves from Russia as soon as possible, they do not have reliable and uninterrupted alternative sources of gas supply, ”the analyst concluded.