Since 24 February, much of the suffering of the Russo-Ukrainian war has been borne by Ukrainians, which has caused thousands of casualties, widespread destruction and the displacement of tens of millions of people.
However, the blow to Russia is also severe. On the battlefield, Moscow's boastful army often seemed unlucky, unexpectedly suffering a large loss of personnel and equipment. Economically, the unprecedented sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies have also made russia's economy look like it is "in turmoil."
On April 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged in a video conference with senior government officials and oil and gas executives that the oil and gas industry had "interrupted export logistics" and "(other countries) russian energy export payments (at this point) have been frustrated."
Screenshot of related reports
Fossil fuels, Russia's largest export, are an important part of the Russian economy, employ millions of people and provide the government with most of the revenue it needs to support its war machine.
The European Union, the world's largest trading bloc, has long resisted a ban on Russian oil because doing so would impose huge costs on European economies and risk shaking the foundations of European politics and pushing up energy prices.
But Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted a consensus among EU officials and some ambassadors that Europe should no longer finance the Kremlin by buying energy, but should reduce its dependence on Russian energy by expanding alternative sources of supply.
Now, ACCORDING TO THE NEW YORK TIMES, EU officials and European diplomats say the EU is moving toward a ban on oil imports from Russia, a ban that will be phased out over months to allow countries to arrange alternative supplies.
They say European leaders will not make a final decision until France's presidential runoff on April 24; rising oil prices could hurt President Macron's prospects for a successful re-election and boost his right-wing rival, Marlene Le Pen, who has praised Putin.
The German government, the EU's most influential country, has been particularly reluctant to cut off fossil fuel imports from Russia, arguing that it would be costly and could lead to energy shortages. But pressure from allies and growing evidence of Russian atrocities in Ukraine has gradually made that resistance increasingly weak.
Germany has refused to put the nearly completed , $10 billion Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline into service , backed a coal ban , and now appears to have switched to an oil embargo.
Screenshot of related reports
As the EU considers banning Russian oil products to further punish Moscow for invading Ukraine, Putin acknowledged that sanctions have disrupted Russia's lucrative oil and gas industry, hurting exports and raising costs for the industry.
Speaking to government officials via video link at his residence near Moscow, Putin said payments for Russian energy exports were under pressure and that banks from "unfriendly countries" had been "delaying the transfer of funds."
"As we have said many times, the most pressing issue here is the disruption of export logistics," he said.
Putin told Russian officials that attempts by Western countries to replace Russian energy would have repercussions in the global economy and could be "extremely painful" for those trying to exclude Russian suppliers.
Screenshot of a Sky News report
In addition, he said, there is a lack of available natural gas in the global market. He predicted that if Europe shifted to other countries, especially the United States, energy supplies would damage Europe's living standards and competitiveness and lead to higher energy costs for consumers.
"In Europe, there is no reasonable alternative to Russian gas," he said. ”
Putin said that while it is possible for Western European countries to find alternative energy supplies, it will take time.
Putin said Western countries seem increasingly prepared to abandon their green agendas and continue to rely on fossil fuels with a high carbon footprint. He said Russia is being used as a pretext by the United States and its allies to overturn policies aimed at encouraging green energy, which have proven to be costly.
"Now they have a good excuse to cover up their miscalculation and blame Russia for everything," he said. ”
epilogue
Of course, we don't know what Putin meant by "extreme pain" to the West. (End)