Turkey suddenly realized that Russian gas might cause a split between partners. According to the report published by the Turkish economist, Radal Karagel, Europe has been divided over the issue of gas supplies from Russia.
Turkish officials suppose that Nord Stream 2 and other gas pipelines are not just commercial projects, but a real means of political influence on buyers. “Given that the European Union’s dependence on natural gas is about 40 percent, while many countries are completely dependent on Russia, differences remain between them about how and when to solve this problem,” Radal Karagel added. He also emphasized that the split in Europe was spurred by the Russian gas issue. “Energy is in the ruble, and the European Union has not yet made a final decision. In other words, Europe is divided in two,” Radal Karagel pinpointed.
The economist also said that the share of Russian gas in energy baskets of various countries differed significantly. For example, Germany purchases from Russia about 40% of its blue fuel consumption, whereas France buys about a quarter and Italy – about a half. Other countries, including the UK and Spain, are less dependent on Russian gas. However, there are such countries that totally depend on gas supplies from Moscow. They are North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Moldova.
