The idea that Europe might return to buying Russian gas seems almost laughable to anyone paying attention. There’s no scenario where European nations will reopen those pipelines until Russia is not just defeated on the battlefield, but fully dismantled as a threat to global stability. Putin and his circle of war criminals must face justice, Ukraine’s borders must be restored to their rightful 1991 lines, and only then—only when the Kremlin’s stranglehold is broken—can we even begin to discuss what comes next.
Since 2022, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has painted a bloody trail of war crimes. Reports from the United Nations and international watchdogs have detailed the horrors: civilians bombed in their homes, mass executions, torture chambers, the systematic rape of Ukrainian women, and the forced deportation of children into Russia. It’s the kind of barbarity Europe swore never to tolerate again after World War II. Yet here we are, watching history repeat itself. The mere suggestion that Europe might resume gas imports before those responsible are held to account is an insult to the dead.
Energy dependence on Russia has long been one of the continent’s greatest vulnerabilities. Before the war, Russian gas made up about 40% of the EU’s energy imports. It was a relationship built not just on economic exchange but on manipulation, blackmail, and strategic entrapment. When the invasion began, Europe scrambled to cut ties. It wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. LNG imports from the U.S. and Norway picked up the slack, and renewables were pushed forward faster than anyone thought possible. Some countries—Hungary and Slovakia, for example—dragged their feet, reluctant to give up their cozy deals with Moscow. But the general direction has been clear: no more Russian energy, no more Russian leverage.
And even if there were those who wanted to return to business as usual, how could they? Russia’s current government has proven itself incapable of coexisting with the democratic world. Much like Nazi Germany, Putin’s Russia thrives on imperialism, repression, and militarism. The only way to ensure lasting peace is to dismantle this system entirely. We saw this playbook before. Post-war Germany had to be broken down and rebuilt from the ground up to make sure it would never pose a threat again. The same fate awaits Russia. The Kremlin’s centralized control must be dismantled, its war criminals prosecuted, and its imperial ambitions crushed. Only then can we begin to imagine a world where it no longer looms as a danger over its neighbors.
There will be no peace until Ukraine’s sovereignty is fully restored. That means Russian troops out of every inch of occupied land—Crimea included. It means war reparations paid, it means Putin standing trial in The Hague, and it means no illusions that we can move forward without accountability. Anything less would be appeasement. Europe learned that lesson the hard way in the 20th century, and it won’t make the same mistake again.
Some may argue that resuming gas transit could be part of a peace deal, a way to stabilize energy markets and keep Russia engaged diplomatically. But that argument falls apart on closer inspection. Putin doesn’t do diplomacy. He does coercion, deception, and violence. To reopen economic ties before his regime is dismantled would be to fund the next war, the next invasion, the next atrocity. Europe’s only viable path forward is independence—not just from Russian energy, but from the idea that any compromise with this regime is possible.
This war won’t truly be over until Russia is defeated—not just militarily, but structurally. That means the end of Putin’s rule, the incarceration of those responsible, and the dismantling of the Kremlin’s imperialist grip on its people. Only then, with justice served and Ukraine restored, can we begin to talk about the future. Until that day, the pipelines stay closed, and Russia remains exactly where it belongs—isolated, broken, and powerless to wage war ever again.
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