The West digs for the next energy battle

The 11-nation partnership to secure critical mineral supplies has the potential to influence future investments and trade flows in energy

Russia’s war on Ukraine and the West’s economic war on Russia have featured the “weaponisation of energy” quite openly. Energy security therefore figured prominently at the Summit meetings of the US-EU in Brussels on June 15, the EU Council on June 23, the G-7 in Germany on June 26, and NATO in Madrid on June 28.

As Europeans scour the globe for every fossil fuel available to make up for shortages of Russian gas, the EU struggles to adhere to its green agenda spelt out in February at the US-EU Energy Council: “Excessive focus on immediate needs risks distracting us from