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EU agreeing to cut energy ties with Russia is "historic day"— Von Leyen
(MENAFN) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described Wednesday as a "historic day" for the European Union after negotiators reached a provisional deal to halt Russian gas imports and completely phase out Russian fossil fuels, stating that Europe is "turning that page, and turning it for good."
"This is the dawn of a new era, the era of Europe's full energy independence from Russia, many believe this would be impossible," von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels, emphasizing that the agreement signals the conclusion of decades-long reliance on Moscow for energy.
According to reports, EU imports of Russian gas, including both LNG and pipeline supplies, have fallen from 45% at the outset of the war in Ukraine to 13% today. Coal imports have dropped from 51% to zero, while crude oil imports declined from 26% to just 2%.
Von der Leyen highlighted that collaborative efforts under the REPowerEU initiative enabled the EU to "overcome the worst energy crisis in decades," noting that the bloc has diversified its suppliers, forged new energy partnerships, and accelerated investments in renewable and nuclear power.
"Today, half of our electricity comes from renewables, and if you look at the low carbon energy so nuclear and renewables, it's 74% and this is just the beginning," she said.
She also stressed that reducing Russian energy imports has sharply curtailed Moscow’s revenue streams that have been used to fund its war in Ukraine.
Payments for Russian fossil fuels have dropped from €12 billion per month at the start of the conflict to €1.5 billion today. "Still too much. We aim to bring it down to zero," she added.
Von der Leyen further noted that the EU continues to support Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure, having supplied over 16,000 generators and transformers and contributing more than 2 gigawatts of power to the Ukrainian grid.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol also welcomed the agreement, saying Europe is "drawing a line under a saga that began over half a century," during which Russia became the continent’s dominant energy supplier.
"This is the dawn of a new era, the era of Europe's full energy independence from Russia, many believe this would be impossible," von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels, emphasizing that the agreement signals the conclusion of decades-long reliance on Moscow for energy.
According to reports, EU imports of Russian gas, including both LNG and pipeline supplies, have fallen from 45% at the outset of the war in Ukraine to 13% today. Coal imports have dropped from 51% to zero, while crude oil imports declined from 26% to just 2%.
Von der Leyen highlighted that collaborative efforts under the REPowerEU initiative enabled the EU to "overcome the worst energy crisis in decades," noting that the bloc has diversified its suppliers, forged new energy partnerships, and accelerated investments in renewable and nuclear power.
"Today, half of our electricity comes from renewables, and if you look at the low carbon energy so nuclear and renewables, it's 74% and this is just the beginning," she said.
She also stressed that reducing Russian energy imports has sharply curtailed Moscow’s revenue streams that have been used to fund its war in Ukraine.
Payments for Russian fossil fuels have dropped from €12 billion per month at the start of the conflict to €1.5 billion today. "Still too much. We aim to bring it down to zero," she added.
Von der Leyen further noted that the EU continues to support Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure, having supplied over 16,000 generators and transformers and contributing more than 2 gigawatts of power to the Ukrainian grid.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol also welcomed the agreement, saying Europe is "drawing a line under a saga that began over half a century," during which Russia became the continent’s dominant energy supplier.
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