Title: Russia’s gas pipeline strategy and Europe’s alternatives – European Council on Foreign Relations
Headings: Russia’s gas pipeline strategy and Europe’s alternatives
Russia’s gas pipeline strategy and Europe’s alternatives
Author

Content: Russia’s gas pipeline strategy and Europe’s alternatives – European Council on Foreign Relations
Wider Europe
Russia’s gas pipeline strategy and Europe’s alternatives
Russia’s pipeline strategy and the threat to gas supplies pose real challenges, but instead of focusing on real diversification, the Commission has to mediate the negotiations and be the ‘financial broker’. Chi-Kong Chyong
ECFR Alumni · Former Visiting Fellow
Commentary 7 July 2015 3 minute read
There is an immediate threat to gas supplies that the European Commission needs to deal with. The recent break-down in negotiations over gas supplies to Ukraine should be taken very seriously: Europe cannot bet on warm weather to deliver security of gas supplies. Ukraine (and by implication Europe) was lucky to live through the last winter safely with minimal gas purchases from Russia. There are no guarantees that every subsequent winter will be warm. And there are few options (and little time) for Europe to secure gas flows to its citizens this coming winter other than doing its homework – preparing for the worst this coming winter – and to continue supporting Ukraine in securing finances for filling up its storage capacity. Strained relationships between the EU and Russia due to the Ukrainian crisis have forced Gazprom – Russia’s state gas monopolist – to abandon the idea of controlling pipelines from ‘wellhead to burner tip’. Gazprom’s new grand vision in Europe is to build pipelines to the EU border and from there its clients are expected to take gas to their home markets. As part of this vision, it also commits not to use Ukrainian pipelines after 2019.