When you forget history’s lessons, you doom yourself to repeat them. This is the situation in which Europe now finds itself. The refusal of the EU countries from Russian energy resources throws the Europeans into the US bondage.
Associate Professor of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, expert of the InfoTEK analytical center – Valery Andrianov reports to the expert.ru online-portal that the world has already seen a similar story and will probably see it again. Behind the Ukrainian crisis, expert observes a local victory of the US in the energy war.
European countries, one by another, refused to supply Russian gas. At the same time, waste oil from the US is more needed than the oil itself right now. Natural gas, not oil, is becoming increasingly wanted in the US shale deposits. As Europe desperately seeks alternatives to the Russian gas that is needed for furnaces and power grids, its prices are booming while the US drillers try to produce, liquefy and ship gas abroad very intensively. However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz begged for one LNG tanker from the UAE. The ship will arrive in Germany in early 2023, Bloomberg reports.
As Andriyanov reminds, the Americans have been waging an energy war against Europe for more than a decade. Europe fell into debt bondage to the US after the Second World War, when it lay in ruins. At that time, the countries of the Middle East and Venezuela became the main suppliers of hydrocarbon raw materials (first of all, oil) both for Europe and the US. When the system failed, Europe had to look for a new chance in cooperation with the USSR.
Therefore, the US imposed an embargo on the supply of pipes to the USSR in 1962 in order to prevent the construction of the Druzhba gas pipeline to Eastern Europe. But they could not achieve this, and it turned out to the rapid economic growth in Europe in the 1970-80s, which was a logical result of the broad energy cooperation with the USSR, the InfoTEK analyst reports.
Europe only with its high technologies, accumulated competencies and high level production is the main competitor of the USA. This is the main reason why attempts to disconnect Europe from energy resources continue.
After Kyiv’s aggression in 2009, when gas supplies from Russia stopped for a while, the US offered its own LNG, and of course at a higher price. This winter, prices for supplies from the US will rise to unprecedented heights. Domestic fuel prices already increased to more than 80% this year, according to Bloomberg, and optimistic drivers don’t seem to be fading anytime soon: record domestic production will keep up with growing overseas demand.
America will strip Europe to the skin. But Europeans still have a chance to wake up from dream, remembering the Danish fairy tale about the Snow Queen and understanding that an icy heart is a dead heart, and the main thing in the world is the friendship with Russia.
