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As I see it | When in doubt, EU leaders dig an even bigger hole
Brussels presses on with its self-defeating policy of isolating Russia, even as the US makes clear its transatlantic ally is effectively on its own for its security
Reading Time:3 minutes
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Alex Loin Toronto
Three news items caught my eye over the past few days. The European Union is finally ready to totally ban the import of Russian natural gas. (You mean they have still been buying Russian gas?)
The new National Defence Strategy put out by the Pentagon says the United States will de-prioritise Europe – which must address its own regional security needs – and focus on deterring China.
And former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder wrote a piece in a newspaper that ended up drawing a lot of flak for himself. Why? He said Germany will eventually need to resume cooperation with Russia. He also defended the construction of Nord Stream 2, the Russian-German gas pipeline, which was blown up either by Ukrainian terrorists, American special forces or Russian saboteurs, depending on who you believe.
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The last one seems most unlikely, though it was, for a long time, promoted by Brussels. Why would Russia blow up its own infrastructure while still trying to sell gas to Europe, despite the Ukraine invasion? At least EU foreign minister Kaja Kallas didn’t allege Chinese involvement!
The European Union has finally approved a total ban on all imports of Russian pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas by 2027, over the objections of Hungary and Slovakia – not quite the land of unanimity and consensus as advertised.
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All this time, Brussels has been criticising China, and to a lesser extent India, for buying discounted energy from Russia, which it claims amounts to supporting Moscow’s war efforts. And yet, EU states have continued importing it.
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