European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen warned on Wednesday that the European Union (EU) needs to make an emergency plan to prepare for a complete cut on gas from Russia.
Although the bloc has already imposed sanctions on Russia, von der Leyen said the bloc needs to be prepared for surprise disruptions coming from Moscow.
He said some EU members had already been affected by the reduction or complete shutdown of gas supplies as tensions with Russia escalated.
Von der Leyen also claimed that President Vladimir Putin used energy as a weapon to threaten Europe.
European Union countries had already agreed last month that all natural gas reserves in the block should be increased to at least 80% capacity for next winter to avoid supply shortages.
The new rules also say underground gas reserves in Europe need to be filled to 90% capacity before the winter of 2023 to 2024.
Meanwhile, Russia’s average monthly imports of pipeline gas dropped by 33% from last year, von der Leyen said, calling for a rapid shift towards renewable energy sources.
Last month, the EU Council agreed to increase the share of renewable energy in the bloc’s energy mix to at least 40% by 2030 up from the previous target of 32%.
