ISN Security Watch: THE EU-RUSSIA ENERGY GAME: WHO’S IN THE LEAD? – ANALYSIS

The ongoing crisis in Ukraine may well provoke the European Union to lower its dependence on Russian energy supplies. Will that then sound alarm bells in revenue-dependent Moscow? Not for the next 2-3 years, writes Alexander Gusev.

The current political crisis in Ukraine might have provided us with what could be considered the first bona fide head-on geopolitical clash between Russia and the European Union (EU). Prior to this, Moscow and Brussels have traditionally been keen to emphasize that their relations were based on partnership, most notably during the 2008 Georgia-Russia conflict. So what’s changed?

The View from Brussels

Part of the answer lies in the energy sphere. Ukraine’s gas transportation system is of geopolitical and geostrategic significance for both sides. For the EU, Ukraine offers an opportunity to store gas reserves and to secure the transportation of supplies. Ukraine possesses the largest underground gas storage capabilities in Europe. This allows it to not only cover the sharp seasonal increase in domestic gas consumption, but also to secure additional volumes in case of disruptions to gas supplies. MORE