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The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, assured

the European Union today that it is "fully prepared" in the event that Russia cuts off gas supplies

as a reaction to the sanctions that would be imposed in the event of aggression against Ukraine.

"[Today] I can say that even in the event of a complete gas supply disruption from Russia we are safe for this winter," he told the Munich Security Conference.

Von der Leyen thus denied that the European Union is a prisoner of Russian gas and that this energy dependency prevents the Europeans from imposing "robust" sanctions on Moscow in the event that Russia, as NATO maintains, consummates the war preparations that carried out with the

accumulation of troops along the border with Ukraine.

The president of the European Commission revealed that the

search for alternative suppliers to Russian gas

began before the situation arose, since for a long time "the Russian state gas company

Gazprom has been deliberately trying to store and deliver as little as possible

, while prices and demand is through the roof.

Until recently, the EU covered 24% of its energy needs with gas, 90% of which was imported.

40% of that total is supplied by Gazprom.

"We have

prepared a package of forceful sanctions

that would also affect energy cooperation," said Von der Leyen, stressing that "you cannot depend on an energy supplier that is willing to start a war."

NATO Secretary General

Jens Stoltenberg

, who is also attending what is known as Security Davos, insisted in his speech that

Moscow still shows no signs of de-escalation

, but stressed that it is still "not too late" to "change course and take a step back from in front of the abyss".

Stoltenberg stated that "there is a lot at stake" and

accused Moscow of wanting to "go back in history"

and recreate the era of spheres of influence and force a NATO withdrawal from the countries that joined after the fall of the Berlin Wall. .

"There are no first-class and second-class members in Eastern Europe. We are all NATO allies," stressed the secretary general of the alliance, which he said is "defensive" in nature and "does not threaten anyone."

Stoltenberg

also lamented that China has joined Russia in calling for NATO not to admit any more members

, calling the gesture an "attempt to impose authoritarian modes of government" and "prevent sovereign countries from choosing their path."

However, he warned that

attempts to "split" NATO will only result in a "more united" alliance

.

For the first time in a long time there is no Russian representative at the security conference.

During the last 12 years, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has always attended, and he was even in Munich in the midst of the Crimean crisis in 2014.

Some observers take the Russian absence to mean that the Kreml has abandoned efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis.

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Know more

  • NATO

  • Ukraine

  • Russia

  • European Union

  • European Comission

  • Ursula von der Leyen

  • China

  • Germany

Europe The EU does not see "nothing new that increases the feeling of an imminent Russian attack" in Ukraine

Foreign AffairsPedro Sánchez multiplies international contacts in the face of the situation in Ukraine

Politics Pedro Sánchez delays an appearance before Congress to explain Spain's position in the Ukraine crisis

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