How war in Iran pushes Europe back to Russian energy |
For now, Brussels insists: “not one molecule”: that is, the European Commission has doubled down on its refusal to reimport Russian gas (even amid the Iranian war and the energy crisis), portraying any reversal as a “strategic blunder,” in the words of Ursula von der Leyen. The question is: for how long is this stance sustainable?
The European position is in fact already under the weight of geopolitical realities. The Israeli-Iranian war, now drawing in Washington, has sent oil prices surging (with global repercussions) and has also exposed structural weaknesses in Europe’s energy model. Analysts (such as the European energy security program’s assistant at the Atlantic Council Lisa Basquel) warn of a stark binary: either physical shortages or extreme price shocks. And yet the most obvious release valve — namely, Russian energy — remains politically toxic apparently, albeit economically rational.
While Brussels publicly rejects any return to Russian fossil fuels, it is at the same time offering to help repair infrastructure that would carry Russian oil into Central Europe. Hungary and Slovakia are openly pushing for reopening of the Druzhba pipeline, even blocking EU financial packages to Kyiv to force the issue. The energy crisis might be in fact reshaping political priorities across the........