BERLIN — Lithuania has stopped importing pure fuel from Russia as of April and can be capable to rely as a substitute on deliveries from different nations to fulfill its power wants, the nation’s president introduced on Saturday, saying the transfer was an instance for different European Union members.
Earlier than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the E.U. had been in search of methods to scale back its dependency on Russian fossil fuels, together with coal and oil, however particularly fuel. Almost 40 % of the bloc’s complete pure fuel got here from Russia. However since Moscow ordered tanks into Ukraine on Feb. 24, member states have been extra actively in search of methods to chop their fuel wants.
“If we will do it, the remainder of Europe can do it too,” Gitanas Nauseda, Lithuania’s president, stated on Twitter on Saturday.
Whereas Lithuania is a tiny nation with solely 2.8 million folks and an economic system extra reliant on commerce than trade, it’s the largest economic system within the Baltic States and in addition a member of the eurozone. So whereas dropping Lithuania as a buyer is unlikely to considerably harm Gazprom, Russia’s state-owned power group, the transfer has geopolitical significance in setting a precedent for the E.U.
“I believe it’s a symbolic step by Lithuania, which has lengthy tried to be within the vanguard of decreasing and doubtlessly eliminating its dependence on Russian fuel,” stated Katja Yafimava, a senior analysis fellow on the Oxford Institute for Power Research. She added that Germany, France and Italy couldn’t simply make the same transfer as a result of they depend on a lot increased volumes of Russian fuel and are sure to long-term contracts.
Lithuania borders on the Russian territory of Kaliningrad and was as soon as totally depending on imports of Russian fuel — a legacy of the nation’s historical past as a part of the previous Soviet Union. However building of a liquefied pure fuel terminal in 2014 allowed it to start transferring away from dependence on Russia.
Final week, President Vladimir V. Putin threatened to chop off fuel provides to “unfriendly nations,” except the nations began paying for the provides in rubles. European leaders rejected the thought, but it surely remained unclear how the standoff is likely to be resolved. Germany and Italy, particularly, are closely depending on Russian fuel, though Germany has lately secured partnerships with america and different energy-rich nations.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has known as on E.U. nations to cease shopping for fuel from Russia, going as far as to induce Qatar and different power producers to extend their fuel exports to Europe as a part of a drive to scale back the continent’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels.
Earlier this 12 months, Lithuania’s power minister stated the nation was in a position to order sufficient deliveries of LNG to fulfill its power wants. If mandatory, it may well additionally obtain fuel deliveries by way of a hyperlink with Latvia.
“We’re the primary E.U. nation amongst Gazprom’s provide nations to achieve independence from Russian fuel provides, and that is the results of a multiyear coherent power coverage and well timed infrastructure choices,” Dainius Kreivys, the nation’s power minister, stated in an announcement on Saturday.
