EU stress-tests a halt of Russian gas supplies
BRUSSELS — Bulgaria, Finland and Estonia could suffer major gas shortages if Russia cut off all its gas deliveries for six months, according to a report released Thursday by the European Commission.
The first stress tests for the energy sector map out how European gas supplies would be hit in case of a total cut from Russia.
The EU’s energy chief, Günther Oettinger, said while he didn’t anticipate such a dramatic scenario in which all Russian gas supplies ceased, the tests showed the extent to which countries would need to pool their energy resources to avoid shortages, perhaps by sending gas to countries most in need.
A far more realistic scenario is that Ukraine, which is the main transit route for Russian gas to Europe, would cease to pass on that gas if it faced major shortages itself.
Hours after the report was released, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia would reduce gas flows via Ukraine if Kyiv siphoned off gas destined for Europe. Speaking to reporters in Belgrade, Serbia, Putin said flows would be cut by the same volume as Kyiv took, although he added that he hoped “it won’t come to that.”