Abstract
The European Union (hereinafter EU) has grown more reliant on Russian gas in recent decades. Multiple geopolitical disputes in Ukraine simultaneously affected gas relations and placed the country's independence under stress. This chapter aimed to examine the connection between reliance and geopolitical conflicts. This fascinating relationship was given a fresh perspective by examining it in the context of the interdependency and asymmetry theories. A unique case study, an abductive research method, was used to approach this challenge. As a result, the geopolitical problems in Ukraine are utilized to explain how reliance and conflict relate to one another. The primary factors examined were trade, reliance, and sanctions. According to the analysis, there is a significant connection between an actor's economic and political goals and how they affect reliance. It can be concluded that there is a connection between the geopolitical unrest in Ukraine and the EU's reliance on Russian gas.
TopBackground
Provide The date is Thursday, February 24, 2022. Russia and Belarus are both entry points for Russian armed forces into Ukraine. It is the beginning of a geopolitical confrontation that will cause numerous casualties. In response, the Western world, especially the EU, acts against Russia, the war’s aggressor. Around the same time as this response from the west, fresh thought was given to commerce relations between the two fronts. Even during times of tension in their relationship, the EU and Russia continue to trade in energy, namely oil and gas (Siddi, 2020, p. 5). The EU has grown more reliant on Russian goods, yet historically crises and wars have not frequently impacted trade. Because the EU lacks significant energy resources, it depends on natural gas imported from third-party partners. It mostly imports natural gas from nations outside the European Union, with Russia accounting for most of these imports. The EU member states buy 41.1% of their natural gas from Russia (Eurostat, 2019). Natural gas exports from Russia, one of the top exporters of this energy source globally, account for 13% of that country’s GDP (Osipov et al., 2018, p. 227). The major routes for import into Europe are through Belarus, Ukraine, and the already-existing Nord-Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea (figure 2, appendix). The recently completed Nord-Stream 2 pipeline (NS2) is awaiting German authorities’ permission. Similar to its predecessor, the Nord Stream 1 pipeline (NS1), this pipeline links Germany and Russia.
Key Terms in this Chapter
European Union: It's a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe.
Trade Sanctions: These are certain commercial or financial penalties issued by one or more states on a state or a group due to certain diplomatic discrepancies.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict: On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, which escalated into a major Russia-Ukrainian war that originally started in 2014.
Asymmetry theory: The asymmetry theory is based on the interaction between states and extends the complex interdependence theory. The ability gap between two states is a common concept of an unbalanced bilateral relationship. Even a small difference like this might be felt.
Natural Gas Dependency: Gas dependency in the context of this chapter means energy dependency where the countries are dependent primarily or secondarily on natural gas.
Complex Interdependence theory: According to the notion of complex interdependence, nations are not the only actors in international politics; other actors also participate. International politics mostly consists of conflict and co-operation.