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BERLIN — Lithuania has stopped importing pure gasoline from Russia as of April and can be capable of rely as a substitute on deliveries from different international locations to fulfill its power wants, the nation’s president introduced on Saturday, saying the transfer was an instance for different European Union members.
Earlier than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the E.U. had been searching for methods to cut back its dependency on Russian fossil fuels, together with coal and oil, however particularly gasoline. Almost 40 % of the bloc’s whole pure gasoline got here from Russia. However since Moscow ordered tanks into Ukraine on Feb. 24, member states have been extra actively looking for methods to chop their gasoline wants.
“If we are able to do it, the remainder of Europe can do it too,” Gitanas Nauseda, Lithuania’s president, stated on Twitter on Saturday.
Whereas Lithuania is a tiny nation with solely 2.8 million individuals and an financial system extra reliant on commerce than trade, it’s the largest financial system within the Baltic States and in addition a member of the eurozone. So whereas shedding Lithuania as a buyer is unlikely to considerably damage Gazprom, Russia’s state-owned power group, the transfer has geopolitical significance in setting a precedent for the E.U.
“I believe it’s a symbolic step by Lithuania, which has lengthy tried to be within the vanguard of decreasing and probably eliminating its dependence on Russian gasoline,” stated Katja Yafimava, a senior analysis fellow on the Oxford Institute for Vitality Research. She added that Germany, France and Italy couldn’t simply make an analogous transfer as a result of they depend on a lot increased volumes of Russian gasoline and are sure to long-term contracts.
Lithuania borders on the Russian territory of Kaliningrad and was as soon as totally depending on imports of Russian gasoline — a legacy of the nation’s historical past as a part of the previous Soviet Union. However building of a liquefied pure gasoline terminal in 2014 allowed it to start shifting away from dependence on Russia.
Final week, President Vladimir V. Putin threatened to chop off gasoline provides to “unfriendly international locations,” until the international locations began paying for the provides in rubles. European leaders rejected the thought, nevertheless it remained unclear how the standoff is likely to be resolved. Germany and Italy, particularly, are closely depending on Russian gasoline, though Germany has not too long ago secured partnerships with america and different energy-rich international locations.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has referred to as on E.U. international locations to cease shopping for gasoline from Russia, going as far as to induce Qatar and different power producers to extend their gasoline exports to Europe as a part of a drive to cut back the continent’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels.
Earlier this yr, Lithuania’s power minister stated the nation was capable of order sufficient deliveries of LNG to fulfill its power wants. If vital, it could actually additionally obtain gasoline deliveries by way of a hyperlink with Latvia.
“We’re the primary E.U. nation amongst Gazprom’s provide international locations to realize independence from Russian gasoline provides, and that is the results of a multiyear coherent power coverage and well timed infrastructure choices,” Dainius Kreivys, the nation’s power minister, stated in an announcement on Saturday.
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