After European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the European Union would phase out the use of Russian energy, Slovakia issued a warning in doing so. Slovak Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Milan Uhrik said that Von der Leyen is leading the EU down a path of self-destruction by attempting to sever energy ties with Russia.

In May, von der Leyen announced a plan that would phase out all Russian oil and gas imports by the end of 2027. The commission president stated that this plan is part of the EU’s REPowerEU roadmap, which aims to reduce the bloc’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels and transition to renewable sources.

”[Von der Leyen], you will destroy the EU, and I am convinced that the EU will soon collapse because you are doing everything to make it happen,” Uhrik said in a speech in the European Parliament on Wednesday, according to a report by RT. 

Political intervention has not served the EU, or any other nation, well in the past, especially when it comes to decisions about energy and its use or where it comes from.

Europe’s Energy Crisis Was Created by Political Intervention

For its part, Russia has said that EU restrictions are self-defeating and causing surging energy prices and weakening the bloc’s economy. Since 2022, Germany has fallen into recession, while growth across the EU has stagnated. At the same time, Russia is crushing Ukraine in a war, getting around sanctions, and otherwise appearing to be able to withstand anything thrown at it.

Brussels is also discussing an 18th sanctions package targeting Russia’s energy and financial sectors. The proposal stalled after Slovakia vetoed it last week. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico argued that Slovakia was “fighting for our households and businesses” against “harmful ideological decisions” from Brussels. Neighboring Hungary also blocked the measure, warning it would cripple its energy security and spike prices. –RT

Slovakia seems to have at least some calming rhetoric in a world where everyone and everything is looking for an enemy and economic or hot war.