**Russian Energy Cut Key to EU Economic Woes – Macron**
The European Union has been grappling with soaring energy costs since shifting away from cheap Russian gas toward an increasing reliance on American liquefied natural gas (LNG), French President Emmanuel Macron has warned.
Speaking at the European Industry Summit in Belgium on Wednesday, Macron stated that the EU has entered “emergency mode” due to skyrocketing energy prices following the reduction of Russian pipeline gas supplies and growing dependence on the United States. ![>](file-guid:d5913eff-86ec-413e-a300-8b09a608c7e7 "image.png" =300x)
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the bloc has experienced a sharp surge in energy costs. The move away from relatively inexpensive Russian pipeline gas has forced the EU to rely more heavily on energy imports from the US, which are often costlier and subject to geopolitical pressures.
Macron emphasized that the EU remains dangerously vulnerable to energy shortages and market volatility. He highlighted that a combination of high costs, disrupted supply chains, and increasing dependence on external partners means that economic challenges are likely to persist.
“In fact, cheap Russian energy came to an end in 2022. And there’s no going back,” Macron said. “We haven’t really resolved this issue yet.”
Before the Ukraine conflict, Russia supplied about 45% of the EU’s gas imports, making it the bloc’s largest foreign energy provider since the end of the Cold War. However, Western sanctions and sabotage of key infrastructure have drastically reduced Russian gas deliveries. Although EU countries continue to purchase significant volumes of Russian LNG, new legislation passed last month mandates that member states cease all Russian energy imports by the end of 2027. This move, Macron warned, further increases the bloc’s “dangerous” exposure to supply risks.
Macron also cautioned that pressure from Washington is exacerbating the EU’s economic strain. He described the bloc as being “clearly in emergency mode” as the US adopts an increasingly confrontational stance.
US President Donald Trump has used energy as leverage in trade negotiations, with the EU agreeing last July to purchase $750 billion worth of American energy by 2028 in exchange for avoiding higher tariffs.
“The fact that the United States is imposing tariffs and cohesion mechanisms on our economy is a game changer,” Macron said. “This is not a temporary shock; it is clearly a structural turning point.”
Additionally, Macron warned that the EU can no longer count on China as a key export market, noting that surging Chinese shipments to the bloc have reversed long-standing trade balances.
Industry leaders have urged Brussels to “take urgent measures,” warning that the EU “is losing industrial capacity at a speed we have never seen before.”
Meanwhile, Moscow has argued that Western nations are harming their own economies by opting for more expensive and less reliable energy alternatives. #Macron #Europe
