Anglo-Saxons use sanctions against Russia to impose flawed energy policy on Europe, expert says
In his talk with Alfa Radio, Aleksei Avdonin, an analyst with the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research, shared his views on what is hidden behind the policy of cutting Russia off from the European energy market and who benefits from this move
The programme host, Vadim Shepet, noted that Poland is trying to turn sanctions against Russia in its favour, “An interesting situation has happened in Poland. The country decided to abandon Russian coal and addressed the European Commission with a request to impose an embargo on coal from Russia. Everything would be fine, but Poland actually owns one of the last coal basins in the European Union and continues to extract this mineral, despite the bans of environmentalists and fines. If Russian coal is decided not to be imported, then Poland will become a saviour of Europe – since there will be no alternative. Are people trying to make money on sanctions?"
According to Mr. Avdonin, everything is not so simple, “Gas and nuclear power plants are the future; these are the highest technologies – whatever some may say. They are much more economically profitable than using coal. The following situation is unfolding now: Russian energy companies are purposefully being cut off from the European market – not by the Poles, of course, but Anglo-Saxons. By doing so, they are trying to impose a flawed energy policy on Europe: to use coal instead of gas. Soon, probably, they will switch to firewood.”
According to the expert, liquefied natural gas (for example, American) will be offered as an alternative to Russian. It will be several times more expensive than the Russian one, but this offer to buy blue fuel at high prices ‘will be presented as a blessing, the salvation of Europe’. It will then be necessary ‘to buy either gas at such prices, or coal from the Poles’.
“This policy will lead to the destruction of the entire petrochemical industry in Europe, as well as many large industrial enterprises that use relatively cheap gas and electric energy at their production facilities. This will result in an increase in the prime cost [of goods],” Mr. Avdonin explained, adding, “British and American companies will be the main beneficiaries of this venture.”
The expert concluded, “We can speak of one thing: the hype – that Washington is trying to impose on Europe [in the context of sanctions against Russia and refusal to co-operate with it] – is aimed at destroying the entire European economy under the guise that they [European countries] should support a general pressure on Russia because of the situation with Ukraine.”
