The United States and the European Commission announced a joint task force to reduce Europe’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels
In the aftermath of the invasion, some E.U. countries argued for a full boycott while others pushed for a more gradual approach, arguing that weaning Europe off cheap and abundant Russian energy required time.When the United States went ahead with a full ban on Russian gas, oil and coal earlier this month, the E.U. announced a plan to cut Russian gas imports by two-thirds this year, reducing — but not actually severing — energy ties to Moscow.
In the weeks since, with Ukrainian civilians under siege, some E.U. countries have called forcefully for a total boycott. Others have all but ruled that out, worried about price shocks and inflation.Biden acknowledged the challenges for Europe in completely cutting off Russian energy, but he said the steps being takenwere critical to preventing Russian President Vladimir Putin from using energy to “coerce and manipulate his neighbors.
“I know that eliminating Russian gas will have costs for Europe, but it’s not only the right thing to do from a moral standpoint, it’s going to put us on a much stronger strategic footing,” he said.Though the arrangement likely requires new infrastructure, including pipelines to import the gas, the two leaders said the partnership aims to reduce the demand for natural gas in the long term and to shift toward renewable energy.
On Thursday, Biden attended a trio of summits to address Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, meeting with NATO, the Group of Seven nations and the European Union. The allied nations announced new sanctions on Moscow and sternly warned Putin against using chemical weapons in Ukraine.
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