China News Service, Beijing, May 1st (Guan Na) May 1st, the full moon before Russia's decree requiring customers from "unfriendly" countries and regions to buy natural gas in rubles came into effect.

In just 30 days, European countries have been caught in a dilemma. The rising energy prices have made people miserable and caused social unrest.

The United States opened up the market and became the only beneficiary of this energy "war".

"Break out" becomes a reality

　　On April 27, Russia announced that it had suspended gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria.

This is the first customer to be "stopped" after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the ruble settlement order on April 1.

Since then, gas prices in the European market have risen by 20%.

　　On the same day, Gazprom officials also revealed that a number of European gas buyers have met Russia's payment requirements.

　　Bloomberg also quoted sources as saying that four European companies have begun paying in rubles for gas purchases, and another 10 have opened accounts with Gazprom.

　　For Russia, this "realistic" approach is not only a deterrent, but also relieves the pressure of sanctions - since the West has jointly sanctioned Russia, Russia will definitely respond with the most severe counterattack.

After all, Russia's energy supply is particularly important for European countries.

　　Zhang Hong, a researcher at the Institute of Russian, Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, believes that the "Ruble Settlement Order" may help Russia to stabilize the exchange rate of the ruble, "Especially after the Western sanctions, the ruble once depreciated sharply, and now stabilized again.”

　　However, Zhang Hong also pointed out that Russia will face a relatively difficult economic and security environment for a long time in the future, and the international system and international pattern will also change accordingly.

On April 27, 2022, Gazprom's headquarters in the center of Lakhta in St. Petersburg.

European countries in a dilemma

　　In the face of Russia's counterattack, European countries have been torn apart from being "monolithic", and even the United Kingdom, France and other European countries that are tougher on Russia have also staged a "face-changing" drama of rejection with the front foot and acceptance with the back foot.

　　Some media analysis pointed out that in the context of tight global natural gas supply, Europe is unlikely to completely get rid of its dependence on Russian natural gas in the short term.

　　At present, Germany, Spain and other countries have announced the restart of decommissioned coal-fired power plants, and the lignite mines operated by the Greek public power company have also resumed work.

Data map: After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, European oil prices continued to rise.

The picture shows a vehicle passing a gas station in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a city in southwestern France, on March 3.

　　But various countermeasures are only a drop in the bucket to alleviate the energy crisis.

Faced with high energy prices and rising living costs, people's lives have fallen into a difficult situation.

　　In Poland, the price of natural gas soared by nearly 80% at one time. Many Poles living in the countryside have closed their natural gas pipelines and went to the forest area where logging is allowed to cut firewood for heating.

British people took to the streets to protest rising energy prices and demand that Prime Minister Boris Johnson step down.

　　Zhang Hong believes that European countries can neither completely decouple from Russian energy, but also need to sanction Russia, which puts them in an embarrassing situation.

　　Looking to the future, Zhang Hong said that due to the importance of energy security, most countries will still choose to accept the "ruble settlement order" to "guarantee the security of Europe, ensure the economic stability of Europe, and ensure employment, which is beneficial to European countries. of".

America the only beneficiary?

　　While Ukrainian people are displaced, Russia is under sanctions, and Europe is suffering from energy shortages, the United States has been behind the scenes to promote the continuation of the conflict, reaping political and economic benefits and becoming the only beneficiary.

Data map: US President Biden.

　　U.S. LNG exports rose nearly 16% in March to a record high, with shipments to Europe continuing to dominate, data showed.

　　US Secretary of State Blinken also said recently that the United States has accelerated the delivery of liquefied natural gas to Europe to make up for the European gas gap.

　　U.S. shale oil and liquefied natural gas have high costs and selling prices, and they were not competitive in the European market. But now, European countries have to give up cheap and convenient Russian energy and instead buy high-priced U.S. energy to help U.S. energy Development in the international market.

　　Zhang Hong said that under the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the United States has returned to the center of the international stage and ushered in a "highlight moment" in diplomacy.

On the one hand, the international political influence of the United States has increased, and the transatlantic alliance has been reunited; on the other hand, the United States has opened up energy exports to the outside world, and American military industrial enterprises have sold a lot of arms and made a lot of money.

These are all "positive signals" for the United States.

(Finish)