In the minds of authoritarian players who use the fundamental principles of liberal democracy in their own interests, the potential of energy can effectively destroy democratic and market forms of organizing the life activities of societies. Russia has performed a set of methods of influence and tools for the practical implementation of its interests on the EU energy market, using energy 100% to achieve its foreign policy goals.
The most effective way to do this was to involve the establishment of EU countries in the implementation of energy cooperation projects with the Russian Federation. The willingness to lobby for Russia’s interests is ensured, in particular, by special terms of supply contracts, the admission of companies from certain countries to the extraction of energy resources on the territory of Russia, and the employment of officials from certain countries in Russian energy companies.
The use of energy weapons effectively neutralizes the ability of liberal democracies to counter the aggressive behavior of authoritarian energy suppliers, and under certain conditions, individual countries become informal allies of authoritarian leaders.
That is why the European Union and the entire international community are directing their efforts to block and abolish the economic dependence of the Russian Federation. In addition, there are increasingly calls to block the Russian Federation on the international arena as an equal player on market.
The entire Western world understood that dealing with Russia will not lead to anything good, because under the guise of good intentions, the Russian Federation is gradually tightening the loop and openly blackmailing the civilized world.