Gas reserves at 15-year low - and Europe begins to fear Putin

Europe enters winter with gas reserves at their lowest level in 15 years, filled to only about 66%. UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell warns of shortages and high prices, calling not to give Putin an advantage. In Germany, storage stands at 54%, in the Netherlands at 48%. Supply disruptions from the Middle East exacerbate the crisis.

Europe enters winter with gas reserves at their lowest level for this period in 15 years, filled to only about 66%. UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell participated over the weekend in the YES conference in Kyiv and told the BBC that the energy crisis could become one of Europe's main challenges in the coming months. Powell warned of shortages and high prices and called not to give Russian President Vladimir Putin an advantage. According to him, "It will require real hardship from us, but we will have to swallow it." In Germany, the storage level stands at about 54%, and in the Netherlands at about 48%. Meanwhile, disruptions in the supply of liquefied natural gas from the Middle East due to the war with Iran and continued tensions in the region are pushing prices upward. Powell argued that Ukraine has "already won" in the sense that Putin failed to take over the entire country, and that continued economic pressure on Russia is essential to bring the Kremlin to negotiations.