Prior to the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, one of the main topics for national economies was the provision of energy and the price mechanism in the global energy market. The European Union (EU) has been importing natural gas from Russia via various pipelines. This import represented nearly half of the EU countries' total needs (45%), and a significant portion of this gas trade passed through Ukraine.

However, the Russian army's recent invasion of Ukrainian territory has severely harmed this trade, and the EU began imposing sanctions on Russia to stop the invasion. Russia responded to these hostile actions by reducing Russian natural gas supply by 20% per year. Moreover, due to the armed conflict in Ukraine, gas transfers through Ukraine have been halted, posing a serious threat to the EU member states.

Natural gas is an important source of energy used in manufacturing and heating in EU countries. The decrease in natural gas imports means higher natural gas prices and higher production costs, as well as higher heating costs. Furthermore, if the EU countries are unable to develop an alternative strategy for obtaining natural gas from other countries, regional production may suffer severely.

Finding Alternatives to Russia

Although some experts believe that the Russian invasion is not sustainable and will end soon, repairing relations between EU countries and Russia could take years. As a result, finding alternative natural gas resources to reduce reliance on Russian gas is a top priority. Reducing this reliance would be a significant contribution to the long-term viability of European economies. Because of Russia's political influence, old Russian states such as Azerbaijan do not appear to be viable alternatives. As a result, the EU is limited in its options.

At this point, Israel, as the EU's most important partner in the Middle East alongside Turkey, has the potential to be a vital gas provider. Although there are some political issues to be addressed regarding Israel's political position in the Middle East, they are solvable issues in order to advance cooperation. There is no pipeline between Israel and the EU, but new political tendencies in the Middle East, including Turkey, may allow for the construction of a pipeline.

The construction of a new pipeline in the Middle East could have a significant impact on the global energy market. Russia's market competitiveness would therefore suffer, and NATO would exert greater influence in the region. Given that the Russian army failed to demonstrate its strength against Ukraine, a new era in the global political system may be ushered in. As a result, there would be significant effects on the global economy. NATO member countries may also gain more power against the Eastern bloc, which includes Russia, China, and Iran.

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