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Anyone Claiming Stopping Russian Gas Flows to EU Isn’t Self-Destructive is Fool - Slovak MP

Reducing energy dependence on Russia became one of the European Union's top priorities after the West unleashed its sanctions campaign against Moscow in 2022. The move has backfired on the continent, leaving Europe facing a crippling energy crisis, while Russia retained its position as the world's largest gas exporter in 2023.

If the EU wants to drive its economy off a cliff, its self-destructive goal of halting Russian gas flows will get that result, Andrej Danko, deputy speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, told Sputnik.

Ending imports of Russian gas will be a huge problem, he warned, adding that “whoever claims that this is not true is a fool.”

“Therefore, we need to talk about this problem, and a solution is needed,” Danko underscored.

The Slovak politician is set to visit Moscow in January to discuss prospects for Russian gas supplies in 2025.

He weighed in on EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's crusade of totally banning both Russian piped gas and LNG, specifically, recent remarks about wanting to discuss with US President-elect Donald Trump an increase in purchases of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States to replace Russian supplies.

The Slovak lawmaker admitted he was puzzled by her proposal.

“How much would US gas imports cost? What was the purpose then of Nord Stream 1, Nord Stream 2? What do they want to achieve? This will be a problem for Germany, where Ursula is from originally… If she wants to live in America later, then I get it. But if Ursula is going to live in the European Union, it’s impossible to understand her… It’s inconceivable for a person of her rank to say something like that,” Danko said.

LNG tanker Gaselys - Sputnik International, 1920, 08.11.2024

Economy

Von Der Leyen Wants to Discuss With Trump Purchases of US LNG to Replace Russian Supplies

8 November, 15:58 GMT

Gas prices exceeded $500 per thousand cubic meters in Europe in November, with European gas futures reaching around €46 ($48.6) per MWh as Russia suspended fuel deliveries to Austria's OMV. Furthermore, Ukraine is about to stop the transit of Russia's gas through its territory by the end of the year, which could affect several European nations, including Austria and Slovakia.

Unless the EU changes its self-harming policy course, it won’t exist in 10 years’ time, Danko speculated. EU sanctions on Russian energy have generated a terrible situation, according to him, and people like Ursula von der Leyen are only driving the bloc’s economy into the ground.

He also voiced hope for dialogue between Moscow and Washington under incoming President Donald Trump. As for Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, he “does nothing for his people, he only creates problems,” Danko noted, likening the expired Kiev regime leader to a chattering “con artist.”

🧵EXCLUSIVE: SPUTNIK INTERVIEWS SLOVAK MP

Why are the European Union’s anti-Russia sanctions and the bloc’s energy policy self-destructive? Andrej Danko, deputy speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, provided insights.

Check out our thread! (1/3) pic.twitter.com/UF4J09pXdq

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) December 11, 2024

The EU’s energy problems are also linked to the Green Deal, Danko said, which “some jokers had come up with,” and foolhardy talk about scrapping nuclear energy.

He claimed the biggest problems were created by shutting down nuclear power plants under Germany’s then-Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Codified in a 2002 law, the nuclear phase-out in Germany was finalized after the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan. The country's last trio of operating nuclear power plants, Emsland, Neckarwestheim 2, and Isar 2, were finally shuttered on April 15, 2023.

Berlin's move to join the West's energy sanctions against Russia and give up Moscow’s reliable and abundant energy supplies, along with the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage and the “green agenda” aimed at replacing fossil fuels and phasing out nuclear energy, have all contributed to Germany's dismal economic data and looming deindustrialization.

Assessing the litany of mistakes made by the European Union, Danko speculated that if the continent hopes to achieve progress in energy and the economy, a fresh influx of “parties of the people” is needed to breathe new life into the EU.