London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 01, 2025

EU ministers agree on gas cuts plan as Gazprom tightens squeeze

EU ministers agree on gas cuts plan as Gazprom tightens squeeze

Member states are looking to mitigate the effect of a Russian squeeze on gas flows before the winter season.

European Union energy ministers have reached an agreement on an emergency proposal requiring member states to cut their gas use by 15 percent from August to March in the face of concerns about the reliability of Russian supplies in the coming winter.

“Member states today reached a political agreement on a voluntary reduction of natural gas demand by 15% this winter,” the European Council said in a statement.

“The Council regulation also foresees the possibility to trigger a ‘Union alert’ on security of supply, in which case the gas demand reduction would become mandatory,” it added.


Gazprom, Russia’s state-controlled gas giant, announced on Monday it was halting the operation of one of the last two operating turbines of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline due to the “technical condition of the engine”. Deliveries to Europe via the pipeline were to be reduced to 33 million cubic metres a day – about 20 percent of its capacity – from Wednesday.

Last year, Russian gas accounted for some 40 percent of the EU’s imports of the energy source. Concerns in the bloc over energy supplies, especially gas, have increased as Russia curtailed deliveries in recent months amid the war in Ukraine, seen as retaliation for Western sanctions.

On Tuesday, EU energy policy chief Kadri Simson said Gazprom’s announcement was “politically motivated”.

“We know that there is no technical reason to do so,” Simson said upon arrival at the special Energy Council in Brussels on Tuesday, disputing the company’s claims.

“This is a politically motivated step, and we have to be ready for that. And exactly for that reason, the preemptive reduction of our gas demand is a wise strategy,” she added.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Gazprom “has always fulfilled and will fulfil all of its obligations”, adding that “our partners are trying to shift the blame for their own mistakes to Gazprom without any basis”.

In his nightly video address on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of using restrictions in gas supply to inflict what he called “terror” on Europe and urged the EU to agree tougher sanctions against Russia.

“All this is done by Russia on purpose to make it as difficult as possible for Europeans to prepare for winter. And this is an open gas war that Russia is waging against a united Europe,” he said. “And they do not care what will happen to the people, how they will suffer, from hunger due to the blocking of ports, or from winter cold and poverty. Or from occupation,” Zelenskyy added.


Al Jazeera’s Abdullah el Shami, reporting from Brussels, said the the 15 percent cut would “save around 45 billion cubic meters of gas that is needed for winter, which is expected to be very harsh this year.”

Should countries fail to achieve the target by mid-September, the EU could make the requirement mandatory, el Shami said.

The draft proposal put forward by the European Commission last week had stirred some dissent among several EU members, including Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain, who opposed the idea that the EU’s executive branch could make the cuts binding in a supply emergency.

Anna Moskwa, Poland’s minister of climate and the environment, said on Tuesday the proposal was “neutral” for her country because it included no binding targets.

Speaking before the talks in Brussels, Moskwa said the Polish government was against assigning obligatory reduction targets to countries.

“We cannot accept any decisions that are imposed on countries,” she told reporters. “Energy security is a national prerogative.”

She added that gas storage sites in Poland were full and that her country had no need to limit gas usage now.

She said, however, that her government saw pollution costs under the EU carbon market as threatening energy security.

Spanish Energy Minister Teresa Ribera said upon arrival at the meeting that her government was opposed to forcing consumers and companies to cut their gas use, arguing the country heavily invested in infrastructure to import and re-export natural gas to the rest of the EU.

“Unlike other countries, we Spaniards have not lived beyond our means in terms of energy consumption,” she had said last week, after the Commission published its proposal.




Czech Industry Minister Jozef Sikela, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, echoed Simson’s remarks, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin was behind Gazprom’s plan to cut gas deliveries to Europe.

“Putin will continue to play his dirty games in misusing and blackmailing gas supplies,” Sikela said as he arrived in Brussels.

The Gazprom cut, he said, “is just an additional … proof that we have to take the game in our hands and we have to reduce the dependencies on Russian supplies as soon as possible”.

EU countries are expected to approve the proposal with opt-outs allowing them to follow different national paths to prepare for Russian supply cuts.

Making the targets compulsory would particularly benefit economic powerhouse Germany, which is dependent on Russian gas for much of its energy production and might need help from its neighbours.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Tuesday that approving the proposal would be a show of unity.

“Of course, there are a lot of compromises in this text now. This is the way Europe operates,” Habeck told reporters in Brussels.

“It’s a very important next step. It shows that Europe stays united, that Europe is able to find unity,” he said, adding that the plan sent a signal to “Putin and to Russia: ‘you won’t split us'”.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
×