Europe works to shift from Russian gas to other reliable partners, such as Azerbaijan: Leyen

Europe is taking steps to switch from Russian gas to other reliable suppliers such as the US, Norway, Azerbaijan, Algeria and others.

The remarks came in a statement by the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen this week, according to Report.

“We are working hard to move from Russia to other reliable suppliers, such as, for example, the United States or Norway, Azerbaijan, Algeria and others. In fact, today Norway supplies more gas to the European Union than Russia,” she said.

Ursula von der Leyen noted that Russia is an unreliable supplier and actively manipulates the gas market. According to her, over the past six months, they have been able to greatly weaken the influence of Russia on the European economy and the continent entirely. In this regard, three steps have been taken: the first is to reduce demand, the second is to phase out Russian energy resources, and the third is to massively invest in renewable energy sources.

Leyen also noted the impact of the current situation on the electricity market.

"We are now facing astronomical electricity prices for households and companies, as well as huge market volatility. Therefore, we will propose a set of five different immediate measures," she said.

According to her, these five measures will be discussed at a meeting of EU energy ministers on September 9.