Due to the situation in Ukraine, South Korea is actively considering the possibility of facilitating the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe, Foreign Minister Chung Ui-yong said following talks with his American and Japanese counterparts.

“With regard to the situation in Ukraine, since things are moving in the wrong direction, as well as regarding the support of LNG supplies to Europe, if there are any difficulties in this regard, we are actively monitoring this issue.

I hope the situation in Ukraine will be resolved through diplomatic efforts and dialogue,” he said.

In turn, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, during the same press conference, said that requests had been received from the United States and Europe to Tokyo "to ensure the supply of natural gas", and the Japanese side "made an appropriate decision."

“The American government expressed its gratitude,” Hayashi said.

It is worth noting that the statements of the South Korean and Japanese ministers were made after US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during the same press conference said that Russia "all this time" was planning an "invasion" of Ukraine, which it could allegedly carry out after organizing a provocation.

“No one should be surprised if Russia initiates a provocation or an incident, which it then uses to justify the military action it has been planning all along,” Blinken said, adding that Washington, Tokyo and Seoul have agreed to “stick together no matter which way Moscow will choose.

Russia has repeatedly denied such accusations.

Thus, on February 12, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during a telephone conversation with Anthony Blinken, stressed that the United States and its allies launched a propaganda campaign about “Russian aggression” against Ukraine, pursuing exclusively provocative goals.

Find a replacement

Recall that in late January - early February, information appeared in the American media that the EU and the United States were striving to find a replacement for Moscow's exports in the event that the transit of Russian gas was stopped due to the situation around Ukraine.

Thus, on January 27, The Wall Street Journal published an article stating that European officials turned to Washington for help "in the search for reserve sources beyond Moscow's control."

“(In Europe.

- RT

) they are trying to guarantee the energy supplies necessary to support the economy if, due to military operations near the borders of Ukraine, natural gas supplies from Russia are in jeopardy,” the newspaper writes.

According to journalists, the efforts of the European authorities in this direction have intensified, as they began to consider "a previously unthinkable scenario of a conflict involving a halt in gas exports from Russia."

At the same time, the authors of the article remind that the Russian Federation provides about 40% of natural gas supplies to 27 EU countries.

However, according to the WSJ, “several officials are anticipating this development” and admit that “there is no replacement for the huge volumes of Russian gas supplies” in the foreseeable future.

However, according to the newspaper's sources, members of the US presidential administration are conducting lengthy discussions via video link with officials from a number of states "to convince buyers in South Korea, Japan and other countries that have already paid for imports to allow America to redirect these supplies to Europe."

The authors of the article claim that in order to “establish import channels”, European officials “made or planned” trips to the capitals of Qatar and Azerbaijan.

A few days after the publication of the WSJ, similar information was published by Bloomberg, which reported that Washington and Brussels had asked a number of countries, including Japan and South Korea, to organize gas supplies to Europe in the event of an aggravation of the situation in Ukraine.

In addition, according to the agency, the United States addressed similar requests to other countries, including Qatar.

After that, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on February 4, gave a joint interview to the newspapers Les Echos and Handelsblatt, in which she confirmed that Europe is "very actively" working to "find new sources of energy."

According to her, together with US President Joe Biden, she developed a project for a strategic partnership in the energy sector.

“We are talking primarily about liquefied gas, the so-called LNG.

We are negotiating with a large number of different suppliers around the world.

Many countries are interested in establishing good, long-term cooperation with Europe.

Europe itself wants reliability and offers it, ”said the head of the European Commission.

  • European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

  • AFP

  • © Ludovic MARIN / AFP

According to her, in addition to the United States, the EU is negotiating gas supplies with Norway, Qatar, Azerbaijan and Egypt.

Later, on February 8, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, at a press conference in the United States, said that the EU did not rule out a reduction in Russian gas supplies to Europe if sanctions were imposed against Moscow because of the situation in Ukraine, but did not believe in the possibility of a complete cessation of blue gas supplies. fuel.

In turn, Russia ruled out a scenario in which it could allegedly default on gas supplies.

As Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, told reporters, Moscow is a reliable supplier and has never let down partners.

When asked whether the Russian side guarantees that it will not stop the export of blue fuel, the permanent representative stressed that the Russian Federation has never said otherwise.

"Unthinkable Scenario"

As Aleksey Grivach, Deputy Director General for Gas Problems of the National Energy Security Fund, noted in an interview with RT, against the backdrop of media reports that Europe and the United States are seriously considering the scenario of stopping Russian gas supplies to Europe, as well as Borrell’s statements, which allowed the reduction of such Russian exports , Washington's allies - South Korea and Japan, who are urged to redirect their part of LNG to the EU - "nothing remains but to agree or declare active consideration of the issue."

“Otherwise, they cannot respond to the urgent request of their American ally, on whom they are largely dependent,” he said.

However, according to Grivach, these additional deliveries of liquefied natural gas, even if they can be negotiated not only with Japan, will not be able to significantly help Europe.

“The US and the EU are trying to mobilize LNG suppliers and buyers to redirect already contracted volumes, since it is impossible to increase the supply now.

But the EU and the US will not be able to collect enough liquefied natural gas to cover all their blue fuel needs,” the analyst said.

At the same time, Grivach stressed that it makes no sense for Russia to interrupt gas supplies, and all conjectures and assumptions on this topic are “nothing more than speculation.”

“The Russian Federation is interested in long-term and balanced conditions for cooperation with Europe in the gas sector, because this business is like that: it has a long investment cycle, infrastructure is being built for 30 or even 50 years.

Russia's refusal to supply gas to the EU is an unthinkable scenario.

Indeed, in this situation, the consequences for everyone will be extremely negative, ”the specialist emphasized.

All fabrications on the topic that the Russian Federation can interrupt gas supplies to Europe or significantly reduce them are “a phantasmagoria of the West,” Alexander Frolov, deputy director general of the National Energy Institute, said in an interview with RT.

“Russia has no reason to stop the flow of blue fuel to the EU.

There is no logic behind these conjectures and no benefit for the Russian Federation, including financial and reputational,” the analyst emphasized.

Europe's attempts, with the support of the United States, to play it safe "look extremely ridiculous and even ridiculous," Frolov said.

  • LNG terminal in Portugal

  • AFP

  • © PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA

“Whatever countries agree to supply LNG to Europe, these volumes simply cannot be large due to the specifics of the energy market and will not be able to cover Europe’s gas needs without the participation of Russia, which is the largest gas exporter in the world,” the expert explained.

At the same time, the United States pretends to help Europe find workarounds in the event of a complete or partial cessation of Russian gas supplies.

However, according to Frolov, in reality, all this "will not lead to anything." 

“Washington is just simulating a flurry of activity.

There is a shortage of gas in the world now, and it is possible to redirect supplies of blue fuel only by removing part of its volumes from another market, where prices will rise because of this.

And LNG sent to Europe from Asia may soon return there again due to the attractiveness of Asian prices.

And the EU will again be in the red,” the analyst concluded.