Since Russia started its full-scale war of Ukraine, the European Union has decreased its consumption of Russian natural gas from 40% to 9%, even though it has hurt the European economy, Matti Maasikas, the head of the EU delegation to Ukraine, told RBK-Ukraine.
"The EU and its member states are making a purposeful effort to stop importing Russia's gas completely," said Maasikas.
According to the official, sanctions imposed by the EU have a substantial impact on Russia, and although energy prices rose in the first half of 2022, Russia "can't buy much" with this money due to the trade restrictions from Western countries.
On Sept. 27, BloombergNEF reported that Europe is ready for the upcoming winter without Russia's gas and that it will be able to cover a complete halt in Russian pipeline flows starting Oct. 1.
On Sept. 15, in an interview with the Kyiv Independent, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that energy globally is scarce, therefore, prices will remain high, yet the situation isn't as bad as it seems.
"We have 85% filled gas storages," she said on Sept. 16. "And we ask people to save not only gas but also electricity. Everybody has to do their share."
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