As of this week, the Netherlands no longer has to worry about financing Vladimir Putin’s war machine through its energy bill. The brutal bombing of Ukrainian soldiers and cities is no longer done with Dutch money.
This week, EU member states agreed to boycott Russian oil. This was preceded by long negotiations, because there were at least two Member States that really couldn’t afford to do without Russian oil. It was so difficult that the heads of government no longer have any illusions about future sanctions packages. They won’t come. A European boycott of Russian gas is highly unlikely.
Unless Russia itself decides to boycott, as happened last week. The Russian gas supplier Gazprom turned off the gas tap to the Netherlands because the Netherlands refused to pay for the gas in rubles. The fact that the cabinet has decided to do so is highly commendable, even if the energy minister saddles Rob Jetten with an enormous task to get the gas from elsewhere.
Jetten reacted laconically to turning off the Russian gas tap. Too laconic, because it will be difficult and expensive to get the gas from elsewhere. Everyone in the Netherlands will notice that. The pressure to reopen the coal-fired power stations, or the Groningen gas field, will increase in the coming months. Both are very hard to sell.
The painful thing is that Putin will not be bothered much by the oil boycott and the self-imposed gas boycott in the short term. As a result of the war, energy prices rose further, which more than made up for the loss in sales. Putin can also easily sell the oil and gas that no longer go to Europe to other countries, such as India. Any head of government facing high inflation due to soaring energy prices will welcome Russian discounted oil and gas with open arms. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic already signed a very favorable contract with Putin this week for the supply of gas that might otherwise have flowed to the Netherlands.
As long as Europe continues to consume as much oil and gas as now, trade flows will mainly be diverted and Putin’s pain will be limited, especially if energy prices are as high as they are now. The sanctions will only be effective if Europe succeeds in tapping into alternative energy sources. The need to switch to sustainable energy in the coming years is greater than ever.
The position of the newspaper is expressed in the Volkskrant Commentaar. It is created after a discussion between the commentators and the editor-in-chief.