Why Putin’s Energy Weapon Failed

New measures from the United States and European Union confirm why Russian energy exports were always a double-edged sword.

A Lukoil fuel storage tank in Brussels on May 13, 2022. October 29, 2025, 11:26 AM Comment icon View Comments ( )

In the good old days, when Russian President Vladimir Putin was in his prime and relations with the West were in decent shape, it was common to call Russia “an energy superpower.” Through the 2000s, oil and natural gas exports boosted the country’s growth and enhanced Putin’s legitimacy. Energy added to Moscow’s geopolitical clout, too, not least in Europe. Even after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, European Union members pressed ahead with pipeline projects such as TurkStream and Nord Stream 2 .

But t

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