CNN: White House fears Europe’s shifting stance on Russia due to energy crisis
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The US fears that Europe, under the influence of the energy crisis, will change its position towards Russia, transmits CNN, citing sources.
“The risk of a split in Europe is real, citizens in Europe may rebel against the Western strategy of economic isolation of Russia,” unnamed US officials explained to the TV channel.
According to them, the priority for US President Joe Biden is to prevent public unrest and political instability in Europe. Officials also acknowledge that much will depend on weather conditions. According to Western intelligence, gas reserves may be sufficient if the winter is warm.
After the start of the special operation in Ukraine, Western states imposed large-scale sanctions against Russia. Restrictions also affected energy. Due to the reduction in gas supplies, European countries faced a shortage of energy carriers, as a result of which gas prices in Europe began to skyrocket.
The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, acknowledged the fatigue of EU citizens from sanctions against Russia. He also noted that the Europeans are “very concerned about the upcoming winter and the consequences of the energy crisis.” However, according to Borrell, it is not the EU sanctions that are to blame for the crisis threatening Europe, but the actions of Russia, which “turns energy into a weapon.”
In this regard, the EU countries began to look for an alternative to Russian gas and resort to various ways to save energy. So, it was decided to reduce their consumption by 7-15%. In addition, Germany called on households and companies to reduce gas consumption by 20%.
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