EU states told to immediately start rationing gas as Brussels accuses Russia of ‘blackmail’

‘Russia is blackmailing us. Russia is using energy as a weapon,’ says Ursula von der Leyen

The windows of the Gazprom building glow in the shape of the letter Z – a symbol of the Russian military during the Ukraine invasion – in Moscow (EPA)

European Union states have been told to cut their gas use by 15 per cent as fears increase that Russia could cut all supplies to the bloc for the winter.

While the initial cuts would be voluntary, the European Commission also asked for the power to impose mandatory reductions across the bloc in the event of an EU-wide alert “when there is a substantial risk of a severe gas shortage or an exceptionally high demand of gas occurs, which results in a significant deterioration of the gas supply situation”.

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen accused Russia of “blackmailing us”. She said on Wednesday: “Russia is using energy as a weapon. And therefore, in any event, whether it’s a partial major cut-off of Russian gas or total cut-off of Russian gas, Europe needs to be ready.”

Many European states rely on Russia for a large percentage of their gas.

EU member states will discuss the measures at an emergency meeting of energy ministers next Tuesday.

Wednesday’s proposal comes at a time when the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned Russia could wield by weaponising energy exports and choking off the 27-nation bloc. Last week, Russia turned off most of its natural gas supplies to Europe, via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, as part of planned “routine” maintenance.

“The partial shut-off of gas deliveries is already affecting European growth, and a full shutdown could be substantially more severe,” the IMF warned.

It added that gross domestic product in member nations like Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic could shrink by up to six per cent.

Italy, a country already facing serious economic problems, “would also face significant impacts”.

EU economic forecasts last week showed that Russia’s war in Ukraine is expected to wreak havoc with economic recovery for the foreseeable future, with lower annual growth and record-high inflation.

The disruptions in Russian energy trade threaten to trigger a recession in the bloc just as it is recovering from a pandemic-induced slump.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the EU has approved bans on Russian coal and most oil to take effect later this year, but it did not include natural gas because the 27-nation bloc depends on gas to power factories, generate electricity and heat homes.

Von der Leyen says the bloc must ‘prepare for a potential full disruption of Russian gas’ (AP)

Now, it fears Russian president Vladimir Putin will cut off gas anyway to try to wreak economic and political havoc in Europe this winter.

Such threats have forced the bloc’s head office to make a plan centred on energy cuts and savings that might make for a much colder winter, but one without massive disruptions.

“We have to be proactive. We have to prepare for a potential full disruption of Russian gas. And this is a likely scenario. That’s what we’ve seen in the past,” Ms von der Leyen said.

Additional reporting by agencies