While Russian soldiers in Ukraine are cursing Vladimir Putin's shameful war, his quick withdrawal does not mean that Putin is going to surrender. In fact, in the last week, they have opened a new front - that of energy. Putin thinks he has found a 'cold war' that he can win. They plan to chill the European Union this winter, and they will do so by halting Russian gas and oil supplies. Their intention is to put pressure on the European Union not to fall between Russia and Ukraine.
However, this is not a new practice for Russia. Even before Putin, Russian leaders and tsars used the winter season to their advantage. Napoleon and Hitler were defeated in the same way. And Putin believes that the same policy will work to defeat Ukraine. That is why Zelensky said last week that Russia would do its best during these three winter months to break the resistance of Ukraine and the world.
I wish I could say that Putin would fail and America would be able to supply Europe enough. I wish I could write that Putin will regret his strategy, because he is making Russia an energy colony of China. They are selling a lot of oil to China at huge discounts to make up for Putin's losses in the western market. But I cannot write all these things even if I want to, because America and its European allies are living in a fantasy world and they think that they will complete the journey from fossil fuels to clean renewable energy with just one switch. I myself have been a vocal advocate of clean energy for many years. But just wanting does not do anything, we have to do something to bring about a change.
No matter how much we have invested in wind and solar energy in the last five years, 82 percent of the world's energy use is still coming from oil, gas and coal. These energy resources are needed for heating, transportation and electricity generation. In the US alone, 61 percent of energy generation in 2021 is coal and natural It was happening with the help of gas. With the rise of energy-hungry middle classes in Asia, Africa and Latin America, new clean energy will be needed on a large scale to meet energy needs. This work will not be done by simply pressing the switch. We will have to go through a big phase of transition. And that will happen only when we adopt smart thinking in our energy policy.
Before the start of the Ukraine-war Europe was dependent on Russia for its heating and electricity needs. It was getting 40 percent of its natural gas and 50 percent of its coal from Russia. Russia announced last week that it was suspending gas supplies to Europe until the economic sanctions imposed on it were lifted. Putin is also talking about stopping oil shipments to Europe. The Financial Times reports that some factories in Europe have closed due to the lack of adequate alternative and affordable supplies of natural gas. In some European countries, energy bills have increased by up to 400 percent. In the coming winter, people will now have to choose between heating and eating. Governments will be forced to give massive subsidies, which will disturb their budget. Some countries are going back to burning coal.
