U.S.-EU Task Force: Russia's Weaponization Of Energy Hastens Need For Energy Transition

The U.S.-EU Task Force on Energy Security condemned the Kremlin's attacks on civilian energy and energy infrastructure in Ukraine and noted the increased urgency to transition away from dependence on Russian energy, in a summary provided to reporters on Monday of a meeting held over the weekend, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

“Russia’s war against Ukraine and its weaponization of energy resources pose significant challenges to European and global energy security,” reads a joint statement.

Moscow "has acutely disrupted global energy markets leading to sharp increases in prices and threatening food security, with disproportionate consequences for the developing world and the most vulnerable populations,” the authors noted.

The EU and United States will continue to partner on providing emergency energy assistance to Ukraine, and support to other heavily affected countries in the region, such as Moldova, which face acute impacts from Russia’s actions to employ energy as a weapon.

As a result of Russia’s weaponization of energy, the task force also agreed that there is a need to “accelerate the energy transition and implement more ambitious policies to reduce dependence on gas and other fossil fuels.”  

By shifting demand for natural gas, the U.S. and EU hope to both accelerate the clean energy transition and curtail Russian energy revenues, “which are used to fund the unprovoked and unjustified war,” according to the statement.

With winter approaching, Ukraine is also bracing for increased challenges in civilian energy as damage to infrastructure has caused widespread outages and the need for scheduled blackouts to stabilize power systems.

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.