Disagreement continues in Europe over putting price cap on Russian fuel -

Brussels: The energy crisis summit, held in the backdrop of sanctions imposed on Russia and the fuel cuts by Russia, once again showed that differences between European countries have come to the fore. The proposal to cap Russian fuel prices could not be approved at the meeting. Some countries in the European Union have maintained their opposition to the proposal. At the same time, on the other side, France expressed strong displeasure at the unilateral decisions taken by Germany to overcome the energy crisis. French sources also informed that France had cancelled the energy conference with Germany.

The European Union has imposed massive sanctions against Russia in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Although this includes restrictions on the fuel sector, European countries have not succeeded in completely stopping Russian fuel imports. On the contrary, countries dependent on Russian fuel seem to be constantly pushing for compromise. It includes countries like Germany and Austria, the leading countries in the Union, and Hungary.

Even before Thursday’s meeting in Brussels, differences between member states came to the fore. Hungary has vehemently opposed the proposal to cap fuel prices. Germany, the leading country in the Union, took the stand that the proposal was neither market-based nor feasible. France has strongly supported the proposal to cap fuel prices. But the rejection of a country like Germany seems to have challenged the unity of the Union.

On the other hand, the unilateral decisions taken by Germany to overcome the energy crisis have also become problematic for European countries. A few days ago, Germany announced billions of euros in financial support for its companies in the fuel and energy sector. French President Emmanuel Macron has said that Germany’s announcement of financial aid, while the European Union is planning a joint strategy to deal with the fuel and energy crisis, goes against the values of the European Union. This objection has been conveyed to the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and France has also cancelled the bilateral meeting with Germany.