UK Adviser Urges Europe to Endure Winter Hardship as EU Still Gets 12% of Gas From Russia
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 13
UK Adviser Urges Europe to Endure Winter Hardship as EU Still Gets 12% of Gas From Russia
1 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 13
Summary
Jonathan Powell said Europe must accept "real hardship" this winter rather than ease sanctions, arguing pressure on Vladimir Putin is finally working and should be intensified.
At Kyiv's Yalta European Strategy forum, the UK national security adviser said Russian escalation talk was a sign of success, not failure, and that Europe must keep economic, military, political and diplomatic support flowing.
Powell also said the US and Europe should keep talking to Putin to avoid miscalculation, while arguing Donald Trump is now less aligned with Moscow and that the proposed "Anchorage compromise" forcing Ukrainian concessions is dead.
His unusually upbeat message contrasted with Ukraine's worsening winter outlook: Russian attacks are expected to cause $10 billion in damage this year, GDP is seen shrinking 1.5%, and evacuations have begun in Slovyansk and Kramatorsk.
Europe enters winter with gas shortages and an EU phaseout plan already under strain from the Iran war, even as the bloc still relies on Russia for 12% of its gas imports and aims to end that by January.