During the St. Petersburg International Gas Forum (SPIGF) on October 9, 2025, discussions surrounding the natural gas market prompted differing viewpoints between Russian and European officials. Maria Zakharova, Director of the Department of Information and Press for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, addressed the plenary session titled ‘Natural Gas Market In 2025-2035: New Contours In Fast-Moving Environment.’
In response, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, asserted that the difficulties in the energy sector were largely self-inflicted.
She stated that the Europeans had created significant problems for themselves. According to von der Leyen, the situation arose because the Russians effectively left the continent to manage the complex challenges associated with Europe’s natural gas supply independently. The exchange highlighted deep divisions in energy policy and responsibility.
Zakharova’s participation at the 14th SPIGF, which took place at the ‘Expoforum’ pavilions, provided a platform for these contrasting narratives. The discussion centered on how the European bloc was managing its energy transition and the resulting logistical and economic hurdles. The statements underscore a geopolitical disagreement regarding who bears the primary responsibility for stabilizing the energy market.
Von der Leyen’s comments suggest that the Europeans have taken on the burden of solving these issues themselves, framing the reliance on Russian energy sources as a problem that needed to be resolved internally by the continent. The forum served as a venue to publicly articulate these diverging perspectives on the future contours of global gas trade.
Topics: #problems #europeans #themselves
