European markets get about 20 percent of their natural gas needs met by Russia, though most of that gas runs through the Soviet-era transit network in Ukraine. Simmering conflict, despite a recent cease-fire agreement, and ongoing debt rows between Kiev and Moscow expose a layer of vulnerability in the European economy. EU Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete said energy diversity means energy security for member states. “Without swift and decisive action, member states will remain dependent on a single supplier that views the sale of gas not simply as a commercial matter, but as a political weapon,” he said in an address to policymakers in Brussels. Contractual rows between Kiev and Moscow resulted in gas supply disruptions for Europe in 2006 and 2009. In response, member […]