You can either be in Turkmenistan, where you have free gas but low salaries and no freedom, or you can be in the European Union-style, but then the g… - Andriy Kobolyev

There is no reason for the EU not to place an immediate embargo on supplies of Russian LNG and petroleum products. Russia's energy stranglehold has lasted for too long. This step will save lives, and not only in Ukraine.

This plan enabled Ukraine to achieve two goals: create the independent GTS operator in line with European rules and protect the country's interests in the arbitration proceedings against Gazprom.

Beyond the military domain, the most obvious target for such retaliation is Russian energy exports, which account for roughly 36 percent of the country's total budget revenues, most of which are used to fund military expenditure. Europe should move fast to replace Russian energy supplies permanently.