Associate Press copy is provided via The Canadian Press
A family cooks outdoors due to lack of electricity and gas next to a residential building damaged in a Russian bombing in Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine, Monday, May 30, 2022. In towns and cities near the fighting in eastern Ukraine, artillery and missile strikes have downed power lines and punched through water pipes, leaving many without electricity or water as repair crews race to repair the damage. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday blamed the United States and Europe for the energy problems they’re facing, saying they stoked fears about climate change to boost support for renewable energy but then underinvested.
Speaking on Russian TV, Putin said those countries adopted a short-sighted policies that relied too heavily on renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydrogen.
Those technologies weren’t yet ready for massive deployment or were too expensive, he said, and Europe and the United States downplayed the role of what they were supposed to replace: hydrocarbons. The result was under-development and under-investment in energy, and an increase in prices, according to Putin.
Exacerbating the problem, in his view, is that Europeans – despite Moscow’s warnings – declined to maintain long-term natural gas supply contracts with Russia.
The higher natural gas prices also increased fertilizer costs. Natural gas is heavily used in fertilizer manufacturing.
“But we warned about that, and it’s not connected in any way to Russia’s military operation in Donbass,” Putin added.
Several European countries are heavily dependent on Russia oil and natural gas and have been rushing to find alternatives now that they have adopted sanctions — including energy embargoes — against Moscow for its military operation in Ukraine.
- 0053 Kingston Midstream Westspur Alameda Click Before You Dig0053 Kingston Midstream Westspur Alameda Click Before You Dig
- 0092 Turnbull projects big and small0092 Turnbull projects big and small
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0087 Lori Carr Coal Expansion0087 Lori Carr Coal Expansion
- 0086 Sask Gov Oil and Gas Incentive Programs0086 Sask Gov Oil and Gas Incentive Programs
- 0084 EMP Metals Pipeline Online0084 EMP Metals Pipeline Online
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
- 0076 Latus only0076 Latus only
- 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
- 0055 Smart Power Be Smart with your Power office0055 Smart Power Be Smart with your Power office
- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
- 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0006 JK Junior
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
- 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
- 9001