Russia is gambling away Europe's trust

The Spanish daily El País criticises the Russian government for using energy exports to pursue foreign policy goals: "Immediately after the US and the Czech Republic signed the treaty for a radar base for the US missile defence shield on Czech soil, the pipeline that delivers Russian oil to Czech consumers started experiencing unexplained technical ... problems. ... The Russian government uses this form of blackmail ... more than is permissible. In a world of complex economical relations energy should not be used as a means of extortion. ... Russia already confused these two areas when it cut off Ukraine's gas supplies. This tendency to make threats makes it an unreliable supplier. It will prompt European countries to start an urgent search for suppliers who can replace at least part of their Russian energy supplies and who have a more respectful attitude towards fulfilling their contracts."

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