Energy Security: Could EU–Russia Relations Suffer Over the Long–Term?

 Generally however the national government of Russia would only take such drastic and politically risky steps when it considered that the economic and political consequences of deciding against non- – intervention would actually be worse than the repercussions of intervening.  Of course Russian governments are supposed are supposed to be committed to the principles of global free trade due to becoming a full member state of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The Russian government by virtue of WTO membership should not consider cutting off or restricting energy supplies to other countries and trading blocks lightly. Russia and its government have demonstrated that it has absolutely no qualms in taking action to reduce or halt fuel supplies. When Russian shipments or consignments of fuel have been stopped the Russian government generally claims that such actions are only meant to be short – term measures intended to gain concessions from other countries. Russia basically applies economic sanctions and lowers energy security to get its own way in economic and political disputes with other countries.

The problem for the Russian government when it takes unilateral economic action against individual countries via the restricting, or by the complete stopping of Russian energy supplies it can easily and indeed has controversially cut off supplies to other countries. For example disrupting the economies of the EU member states as well as the state been boycotted. The fact that the government of Russia has also already demonstrated its unrestrained willingness to rapidly and effectively cut off energy supplies. Undoubtedly the cutting off of the crude oil, petroleum, as well as natural gas supplies undermines the level of energy security, or at the very least confidence in that security by the EU member states amongst other countries.

The logical thought for the EU and the governments of it member states is that the Russian government will generally not be inclined to make decisions or take actions that could harm their relations with the EU. Unilateral action by the Russian government has the potential therefore to harm the relationship with the EU and its member states. It is a high risk of the undermining of energy security of the latter by the cutting off of Russian fuel supplies to other countries outside of the EU for a sustained period of time.

It would seem to be highly likely that the Russian government will continue its economic strategy of actively restricting energy supplies whenever it wants to get its own way. The Russians would keep energy supplies under their tight and restricting control until the demands for concessions have been agreed to by foreign countries whilst only resuming normal shipments and service when Russian objectives have been achieved. In some respects the Russian government acts like its Soviet predecessor used to do, as it relies on economic threats and its military power to persuade other countries to carry out the economic policies, which suit Russia the most.