Zelensky wants no Russian energy in Europe, suggests other suppliers

DPA: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants Europe to become even more energy independent from Russia in the wake of the Baltic states' disconnection from Russia's power grid and suggested the Middle East and North Africa as possible suppliers

“Moscow will no longer be able to use energy as a weapon against the Baltic states,” he said in his evening video address on Sunday, following the announcement that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania had integrated their electricity grids into the European network after they had disconnected from Russia's energy system.

"This is the path that we all in Europe must follow – all of us on the continent," Zelensky continued. This applies above all to the countries of Central Europe that still have treaties with Russia.

"We need to work more with America - LNG gas, oil, we need to work more with our partners in the neighbouring countries of the European Union, in this region, to import the necessary energy."

On Sunday afternoon, the three Baltic countries, which are all member of the European Union and NATO, were connected to Poland and the continental European grid via the LitPol Link power line, joining the world's largest synchronous grid serving more than 400 million consumers across 26 countries.

The three former Soviet republics had already stopped their electricity imports from Russia as a reaction to Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Alternative? Caucasus, Middle East and North Africa

Zelensky recommended the countries in the Caucasus, the Middle East and North Africa as an alternative to Russia as an energy supplier. "The less the Europeans depend on Russia, the sooner we can guarantee reliable security for everyone in Europe." At the beginning of the year, Ukraine shut off the transit of natural gas from Russia to Europe.

Together with the EU, pressure must also be exerted on Russia's attempts to use its tankers and fleet "against us, against all of Europe."

Ukraine has also extended the pressure of sanctions to the captains of the ships of the Russian shadow fleet. "This should be supported at the European level – the European Union should join these sanctions in the energy sector," Zelensky said.