On energy, Russia lost the war, Western leaders say

April 4 (UPI) -- While the situation has improved since last year, U.S. and European leaders Tuesday sharply condemned Russia's war in Ukraine for ushering in a global food and energy crisis.

U.S. and European leaders met Tuesday in Brussels for the tenth regular meeting of the U.S-EU Energy Council. On the invasion of Ukraine, both sides said in a joint statement that Russia has waged unprecedented attacks on the critical infrastructure in Ukraine, including the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power facility.

"Russia's war has also triggered a global food and energy security crisis, with sharp increases in prices, market volatility and a disproportionate impact on the developing world and vulnerable populations," the statement read.

An emailed report from London oil broker PVM finds that, from the recent expansion of NATO to growing tensions between the United States and China, "every major political, financial or energy event" over the last year has been a consequence of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russia before the war had a near-monopoly over the European energy sector, though sanctions and self-imposed restrictions have largely sidelined Russian fuels from Western economies, with a U.N.-backed grains agreement remains on life support.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that apart from maintaining boots on the ground and staking claim to Ukrainian territory, Russia has largely failed in its mission.

"Ukraine stands -- and stands strong. Europe stands -- and stands strong," he said. "The world is reducing its dependence on Russian energy, accelerating the transition to the green economy."

Much of that Western success rests on the U.S-EU partnership, he said. Deliveries to Europe of liquefied natural gas drawn from U.S. shale basins more than doubled over the year, cutting Russia's market share from 37% in March 2022 to around 16% by the end of the year.

For his part, EU High Representative Josep Borrell thanked Blinken for the "unprecedented" volumes of LNG to Europe, but said some of the strains seen in breaking away from Russia would be alleviated with further progress on the energy transition.

"And there is a broad lesson in all of this: in the end, reliable, affordable and secure energy, will only come through a fully decarbonized energy system largely based on renewables," he said.

Blinken added later that another $500 million in military equipment would go to support Ukrainian forces.

"Russia alone could end its war today," he said. "Until Russia does, the United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine for as long as it takes."