EU should consider return to Russian gas if peace in Ukraine, Austria says
The European Commission is set to propose legal measures on Tuesday to enact the ban, with the aim of halting the EU's reliance on Russian energy by the end of 2027.
"We will systematically weigh all proposals and then we will decide on our position," Austria's state secretary for energy, Elisabeth Zehetner, told reporters on Monday, of the upcoming proposals.
"But it is clear already, that when the war is finally over, that is something that we should take into account in our evaluation of the situation then," Zehetner said.
EU diplomats told Reuters Zehetner had emphasised the need to re-consider the ban if there is a peace deal in Ukraine, in a closed-door meeting of the EU countries' energy ministers on Monday, but that no other member states had called for the same.
Hungary and Slovakia have rejected the plan to ban Russian imports. The Commission proposals, due to be published on Tuesday, are designed so they can pass into law with the approval of a reinforced majority of countries, meaning one or two could not block them.
EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said on Monday it would be "a very unwise decision" to resume Russian gas imports in the future, even if there was a peace deal in Ukraine.
"I think that would be to repeat the mistakes that we've done in the past," he said.
Around 19% of the EU's gas still comes from former top supplier Russia, down from roughly 45% before Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Land-locked Austria bought most of its gas supplies from Russia until last year, when Russian state energy giant Gazprom cut supplies to Austria after a contractual dispute, and supplies via Ukrainian pipelines ceased at the end of the year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
Pope calls for fasting and prayer for peace in Middle East and Ukraine as he returns to Vatican
Pope Leo XIV asked people to fast on Friday to pray for peace and justice in the Middle East and Ukraine, issuing a special appeal as he returned to the Vatican from summer vacation. At the end of his weekly general audience Wednesday, Leo recalled that Friday is a special feast day dedicated to the Virgin Mary. He urged Catholic faithful to spend the day fasting and 'praying that the Lord grants peace and justice, and dries the tears of all those who are suffering as a result of the armed conflicts underway.' Leo has called for ceasefires in Gaza and Ukraine and for dialogue to achieve peace. Wednesday marked Leo's first day back at the Vatican after a period of vacation at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome. Going forward, the pope has some important appointments including special audiences for the Vatican's 2025 Holy Year and the Sept. 7 canonization of the Catholic Church's first millennial saint Carlo Acutis. At the end of Wednesday's audience, Leo received a special gift: A Ping-Pong table decorated with his papal coat of arms. Leo, an avid tennis player, gamely picked up a paddle and bounced a ball on it, but the ball rolled into the net. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Daily Mail
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
UK's military chief in Pentagon talks after Donald Trump pledges a NATO-style security guarantee for Ukraine - but British peacekeeping troops 'won't be sent to the frontline'
The UK's top military chief is set to hold meetings in Washington DC today following Donald Trump 's promise of security guarantees for Ukraine. Sir Tony Radakin, the chief of the defence staff, is expected to attend talks at the Pentagon to thrash out how Ukraine would be defended from future attack in the event of a peace deal with Russia. It follows crunch talks at the White House on Monday between the US President and European leaders, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky. After the emergency summit in the Oval Office - held in the wake of Mr Trump's talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Alaska last week - Sir Keir said there had been a 'common understanding' about a NATO-style security guarantee for Ukraine. The PM added this was an 'Article 5-like guarantee', which could mirror the 'collective defence' clause of the NATO treaty that states that an attack against one NATO ally is considered an attack against all NATO allies. Sir Keir has pledged to put British troops on the ground in Ukraine as part of efforts by the so-called 'coalition of the willing' of Ukrainian allies to help ensure a potential peace agreement with Russia holds. But, during the Pentagon talks on Wednesday between military chiefs from the coalition of the willing and their American counterparts, Sir Tony is expected to state that UK peacekeeping troops would not be on the frontline with Russia. US President Donald Trump told Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday that America would help guarantee Ukraine's security in a deal with Russia A British official told The Guardian: 'Wednesday is a really important moment. 'Nothing happens in Washington without the President giving the green light, so Trump giving his support to security guarantees on Monday kickstarted a lot of activity.' Another said Sir Tony would echo pledges made by Defence Secretary John Healey, who recently said Britain was willing to deploy troops to Ukraine 'to secure the safe skies, safe seas and to build the strength of the Ukrainian forces'. They added that ministers envisaged this as meaning logistical and training support rather than sending battalions of frontline troops who could end up in combat. Security minister Dan Jarvis this morning said the flurry of diplomatic talks in recent days had 'brought the prospect of peace much closer' in Ukraine. Speaking on Times Radio, he said: 'We've always strongly supported Ukraine's integration, both in terms of their potential desire to be members of the European Union and membership of NATO. 'We don't think that any limitation should be placed on Ukraine's armed forces or on its co-operation with third countries, and Russia certainly shouldn't be able to have a veto against Ukraine's pathway to the European Union or NATO.' Mr Jarvis added: 'I think it is important to make the point that very significant progress has been made. 'I think the Alaska summit and the talks in Washington over the previous days have brought the prospect of peace much closer than they had been previously.' But, despite the growing hopes that the three year-long conflict in Ukraine could soon be brought to an end, former Russian prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov warned that Mr Putin is 'absolutely not' ready for peace. He told Times Radio that the Russian leader was 'absolutely not' serious about striking a peace deal, despite Mr Trump's suggestion trilateral meeting - potentially in Budapest - between himself, Mr Putin and Mr Zelensky. 'He doesn't want to have the high-level meeting. He doesn't want to meet to sit down with Zelensky,' Mr Kasyanov, a leading Putin critic, said. 'It will be some of a humiliating event for him. That's why he will be avoiding it. You're correct that the ball is on Putin's court, but he will continue dragging out time, continue his offensive operation, believing that he will win the war of attrition. 'He simply managed to avoid imposing just tough sanctions as a result of Alaska meeting.'
Reuters
9 minutes ago
- Reuters
Ukraine's Zelenskiy says Russia struck gas distribution station in Odesa region
KYIV, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Russia struck a gas distribution station in the southern Ukraine region of Odesa on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, adding this showed the need to put economic pressure on Russia amid current U.S. efforts to end the war. "All of these are demonstrative strikes that only confirm the need to put pressure on Moscow, the need to impose new sanctions and tariffs until diplomacy is fully effective," Zelenskiy wrote on X. Zelenskiy did not specify how important the gas station is. Local authorities did not report any problems with gas supplies in the region. Ukraine uses gas not only for industrial needs, but also for heating homes and cooking. The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed the attack on what it said was port infrastructure "used to supply fuel to Ukrainian forces". In recent weeks, Russian forces have intensified attacks on gas and energy infrastructure, attacking a gas interconnector with Romania and fuel depots in several regions in early August. Ukraine has called on Baku to respond to Russian attacks on assets of Azerbaijani state-owned company SOCAR in the Odesa region. Ukrainian authorities say that Russia is trying to disrupt Ukraine's preparations for the winter heating season with its attacks. Ukraine has faced a serious gas shortage since a series of devastating Russian missile strikes this year, which significantly reduced domestic production. Ukrainian forces have also stepped up attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure, a key conduit for generating money for Kremlin's war efforts. Oil is once again flowing to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline, officials from both countries said late on Tuesday, after a Ukrainian drone strike on an oil pumping station in Russia's Tambov region halted supplies.
