Europe ready for winter despite Putin's blackmail - EU Commission head
Photo: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (Getty Images)
Today, Russia has cut off gas supplies to Austria. However, Europe is ready for winter, says European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
She emphasizes that Russian president Vladimir Putin is once again using energy as a weapon and blackmail. But the European continent is ready for this, as the EU's gas storage facilities are full.
“Once again Putin is using energy as a weapon. He is trying to blackmail Austria & Europe by cutting gas supplies. We are prepared for this and ready for the winter. Gas storage across the EU is full. As I told Karl Nehammer yesterday Europe stands united in supporting Austria,” she writes.
Background
Yesterday, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said that Russia would cut off gas supplies starting November 16. According to him, Gazprom informed him of this intention on Friday afternoon.
Nehammer emphasized that this will lead to what the country has been preparing for since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He noted that Austria has enough capacity to receive gas from other regions, and the country's storage facilities are 93% full.
