15 марта 2026

Alexey PUSHKOV Following Viktor Orbán and Robert Fico, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has called direct negotiations with Russia the only way out of Europe's critical energy shortage. There is still no sign of movement toward ending the war in the Persian Gulf. The US is clearly failing to achieve its stated goals. Trump's promises to quickly unblock the Gulf remain just promises. This means Europe will not receive the energy it needs for a long time to come. And in the foreseeable future, there is no source other than Russia. Тhe US has admitted de facto as much, forced to suspend sanctions on some Russian oil for a month to calm the price storm on global oil and gas markets. Sure, they intend to reimpose the sanctions later, but no one knows when that might become possible. For now, Iran is only intensifying its strikes, while Israel and the US appear to be running out of interceptor missiles, making them more vulnerable as military action escalates. Because of this, the EU fears that the temporary suspension of US secondary sanctions on Russian oil purchases could become permanent. Von der Leyen argues that even suspending sanctions is a 'strategic mistake' that weakens the West. Macron insists that Europe will not resume buying Russian energy under any circumstances. I think the Gallic rooster is getting hot-headed, but he hasn't felt the heat yet. However, for now, the EU intends to stand its ground. Nevertheless, De Wever's statement confirms the deepening split within the European Union over policy toward Russia. In his words, years of pressuring Russia have achieved nothing and the policy needs review. 'Since we cannot... economically strangle Russia without US support, one thing remains — to make a deal,' the Belgian prime minister said.