VILNIUS: The three Baltic states on Saturday cut ties with Russia's power grid to join the European Union's network, the culmination of a years-long process that gained urgency with Moscow's attack of Ukraine. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — all former Soviet republics — had wanted to block Russia's ability to geopolitically blackmail them via the electricity system. "We have removed any theoretical possibility of Russia using energy (grid) control as a weapon," Lithuanian Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas said.
The European Commissioner for Energy, Dan Jorgensen, said: "This is indeed a historic day." "I like the light better when there's no Russian electrons involved," he said. "It's important to underline that this is about security... No European country should be dependent on Russia for anything," he added.
"Now we have complete control over our power grid," Latvian Energy Minister Kaspars Melnis said to reporters while holding a piece of the dismantled wire. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen was to attend a ceremony with Baltic leaders in Vilnius. — AFP
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