RE: adventure of a lifetime6 Feb 2022 15:17
Amid the intensifying standoff between Russia and Ukraine, there is growing fear Putin could turn off the taps, and choke off supply to Europe, which has been standing by Ukraine diplomatically and militarily through NATO, as Russia reinforces its border with more than a 100,000 troops.
If Russia uses gas as a “weapon,” Vitrenko admits, “it will send gas prices and oil prices even higher.” In the winter -- when millions rely in natural gas to heat their homes -- the impact could be devastating.
Plus there’s the economic hit. “We are by far the largest taxpayer and one of the economic kind of pillars,” Vitrenko says, adding that Naftogaz pays as much in taxes as Ukraine spends on its military.
Whether Putin triggers an energy war with one of his largest continental customers is anyone’s guess, which gives him leverage. But the fact that the U.S. is already co-ordinating with its energy partners in North Africa and the Middle East to bolster European supplies shows there are real worries.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/disaster-if-russia-cuts-gas-supply-to-europe-putin-a-bully-ukrainian-energy-giant-ceo-1.5769097