British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday that Europe cannot abandon the use of Russian oil and gas overnight, and that exit from them must be coordinated by all countries.
Asked at a news conference after his talks with the prime ministers of Canada and the Netherlands about reports that the United States is in active talks with European countries on banning Russian oil imports, Johnson replied that the Western allies are “moving very, very quickly.” Questions that would not have been considered a few weeks ago are now on the table.
But he stressed: “There are different dependencies in different countries, and this must be remembered. You cannot just close access to oil and gas, even from Russia, overnight.” He explained that “in Britain we can move quickly”, but “we must make sure that we are all heading in the same direction”. “We will do it together, making sure we all have the alternatives and the supplies we need,” the British prime minister emphasized.
Johnson has announced that in the coming days he will present a new energy supply strategy and the UK intends to use its own fossil fuels to a greater extent. However, he was conservative that the UK would not abandon its commitments to reduce CO2 emissions.
In Great Britain, it is less than 5%. Spent gas comes from Russia, but in the case of the European Union countries this percentage is about 40 percent. At the same conference, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte warned that a boycott of Russian oil and gas would have “serious consequences”.
The British Prime Minister also announced the transfer of another 175 million pounds to help Ukraine, of which the equivalent of 100 million dollars will be transferred directly to the government of that country. As a result, the total value of British aid to Ukraine since Russia began threatening to invade has risen to £400 million.
From London Bartłomiej Niedziński (PAP)
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