Moscow Denounces EU for Giving Up “Freedom” by Baring Russian Gas
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian broadcaster Zvezda on Monday that the EU’s action would make it “heavily reliant on another supplier.”
Earlier that day, EU nations approved legislation requiring members to stop all Russian gas deliveries by late 2027. The legislation, designed to pass with a reinforced majority, overcomes opposition from countries such as Hungary and Slovakia, which continue to rely heavily on Russian energy. In November, Budapest announced its intention to challenge the decision at the European Court of Justice.
“It is difficult to say definitively whether they are happy vassals or miserable slaves. Time will tell. They did give up their freedom anyway,” Zakharova said, referencing remarks by Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, who last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos stated, “being a happy vassal is one thing. Being a miserable slave is something else,” criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempt to acquire Greenland.
Since the EU began phasing out Russian oil and gas after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, energy prices across the bloc have surged. The shift away from Russian pipeline gas has increased reliance on U.S.-sourced liquefied natural gas (LNG).
According to recent reports from German energy observers, Germany is now almost entirely dependent on the U.S. for LNG. The German economy, previously reliant on Russia for 55% of its natural gas, was hit hard after joining Western sanctions against Moscow. Economic contractions in 2023 and 2024 have been linked to high energy prices, with the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry warning of a sharply rising number of bankruptcies as a consequence.
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