Putin Has Weaponized Natural Gas To Weaken EU Support For Ukraine

Russian and US officials traded threats Tuesday about what might be the Kremlin’s most potent weapon in its campaign to divide NATO as it weighs aggression against Ukraine— natural gas -- Steven Mufson and Michael Birnbaum reported for the Washington Post.

Photo Insert: The tensions illustrate the danger of Europe’s long-standing dependence on Russian gas.

As Russia’s tanks and troops are amassing at Ukraine’s borders, Moscow has reduced the amount of natural gas flowing into the heart of Europe. It is delivering enough to keep power plants and factories humming and ensure that European homes can fend off the chilly January gloom — but not enough to prevent prices from soaring to record levels.

The fuel has arrived for decades, through periods of crisis and tension and even the breakup of the Soviet Union. But now Russia is threatening to cut off the gas if it faces economic sanctions following an incursion into Ukraine, and the US and its allies are scrambling to line up a substitute.

“How reliant is Europe on Russian gas? The short answer is very,” said James Huckstepp, manager of European gas analytics for S&P Global Platts.

A senior Biden administration official said Tuesday that the United States had held discussions with major natural gas producers in North Africa, the Middle East and Asia, as well as domestically, about their capacity and willingness to “temporarily surge” their natural gas output for European buyers.

The president plans to host Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the White House on Monday, where they will discuss channeling Qatari gas to Europe.

The tensions illustrate the danger of Europe’s long-standing dependence on Russian gas, the limits of substituting liquefied natural gas shipments from the United States and Qatar, and the obstacles to meeting climate goals as European countries look to coal and even oil as emergency fuels.

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