Europe's energy crisis is man-made

To end the energy crisis, its root cause, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, must end. European allies of Ukraine in the current war should avoid provoking Russia militarily.

The good news is that Russian President Vladimir Putin is very much willing to supply gas to Europe. President Putin has also assured that the sabotaged Nord Stream 1 and 2 lines could be repaired if Europe undertook to use them.

Observers say man-made crises are often illegitimate and harmful to the humanity. The energy crisis Europe has been confronted with in the wake of the ongoing Russia's war on Ukraine belongs to this category. The European Union would do well to seize the opportunity Putin is offering, start the energy supply route and avoid this unwanted crisis.

It is unfortunate that Nord Stream 2 was never put into operation. Germany axed its certification process following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia shut down Nord Stream 1 in early September. It claimed it was unable to repair gas turbines because of the continuing Western sanctions on its oil.

Fortunately, there is still one undamaged line on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Putin has already said Moscow has nothing to do with Europe's energy crisis and Europe could just "push the button" on Nord Stream 2 and "everything will get going."

To end the energy crisis, its root cause, that is, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, must end. European allies of Ukraine in the current war should avoid provoking Russia militarily. Of course, with the help of certain Western powers, Ukrainian forces have, in the recent weeks, been able to cause Russia a series of setbacks. But the former superpower Russia's fire power is formidable. It can inflict unparalleled military as well as civilian damages on Ukraine.

What Moscow did in response to the recent blast at the Russian-built Kerch Strait bridge linking the Russian mainland to the Crimean Peninsula the Russian-built bridge is a case in point. Russia has retaliated it with its broadest missile strike on Ukraine since the war began in February this year and targeted Ukraine's military and civilian infrastructure.

Besides, Russia is one of the leading nuclear weapon states in the world today. Its threat to use nukes in the Ukraine war may not be taken lightly. If its sense of national pride is hurt beyond a point, Moscow might go real on its nuclear threat to the detriment of the entire humanity the world over.

The best course of action in the current situation could be for Moscow and Kyiv-- the two direct parties to the war-to go in for dialogue. Russian President Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy could talk to each other and find a solution to the crisis. They could rationally accommodate each other's point of view for the sake of peace and development in the region.

(Jagdish N. Singh is a senior journalist based in New Delhi. He is also Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, New York)

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