EU Fee’s President Ursula von der Leyen holds a press convention forward the G20 and the COP26 (Glasgow Convention) within the Berlaymont, the EU Fee headquarter on October 28, 2021 in Brussels, Belgium.
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Ecu Fee President Ursula von der Leyen has informed CNBC that power sanctions towards Russia are nonetheless an choice if the rustic invades Ukraine.
When requested about the potential of implementing sanctions on Russian gasoline large Gazprom, von der Leyen stated Saturday, “the whole thing is at the desk.”
Europe imports round 40% of its gasoline provide from Gazprom, the EU leader informed CNBC’s Hadley Gamble on the Munich Safety Convention, which von der Leyen described as a “dependency that’s not sustainable.”
She stated she were attaining out with good fortune to choice providers, corresponding to america.
“We had now, in January, the perfect quantity of power deliveries [from elsewhere], and we all know via now that if there’s a decoupling of Russian gasoline as a retaliation, we’re in a position to make it via this iciness with out Russian gasoline however with provide from others and that is just right,” von der Leyen stated.
Italian Top Minister Mario Draghi has argued that any possible sanctions towards Russia will have to now not come with power imports. Italy is one of the greatest importers of Russian gasoline within the Ecu Union.
Von der Leyen maintained that it used to be necessary not to rule out any choices, noting that two-thirds of Russia’s power exports cross to Europe and this accounts for a vital quantity of Russia’s price range. She argued that it used to be, due to this fact, now not a “good move” for Russia to decouple Europe from its gasoline provide.
Von der Leyen added that she had reassured Draghi that Europe would supply gasoline from in different places and that there used to be a pipeline community throughout the continent to “deliver the essential gasoline to Italy in order that Italy could also be at the protected facet.”
Discussing the specter of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, von der Leyen stated “all of us need that international relations may have victory, however we get ready for the worst.”
President Joe Biden stated on Friday that the U.S. believes Putin has determined to hold out an assault on Ukraine “within the coming days.”