Vladimir Putin must no longer be able to ‘blackmail’ the West over oil, says Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday pledged a ‘massive jump’ forward on renewables and more nuclear power in Britain
Boris Johnson visit to the UAE and Saudi Arabia
PA
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Vladimir Putin must no longer be able to “blackmail” the West by threatening to choke off energy supplies, Boris Johnson said on Wednesday as he pledged a “massive jump” forward on renewables and more nuclear power in Britain.

On a visit to the Gulf, the Prime Minister downplayed his chances of getting states in the region to increase their oil production, which was seen as a change of tack after running into suspected resistance to the proposal.

Mr Johnson is seeking to lead moves to wean the West off dependence on Russian oil and gas.

Speaking at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi, the Prime Minister said: “It’s not just a question of looking at the Opec countries and what they can do to increase supply, though that is important, there’s also the issue of Emirati investment in UK wind farms, already huge, what more can they do.

“When we look at the dependency the West in particular has built up on Putin’s hydrocarbons, on Putin’s oil and gas, we can see what a mistake that was because he’s been able to blackmail the West and hold western economies to ransom - we need independence.”

British PM Johnson visits the United Arab Emirates
REUTERS

He stressed that the Government would be setting out a new energy strategy “next week” to include a “massive jump forward on renewables, more nuclear, using our own hydrocarbons more effectively” and sourcing fossil fuels from outside Russia.

Mr Johnson also defended trying to forge closer ties with Saudi Arabia as he tries to make the West less reliant on Russian fossil fuels.

Asked about working with the Saudi regime, given its human rights record, the Prime Minister said: “I’ve raised all those issues many, many times... since I was Foreign Secretary and beyond and I’ll raise them all again today.

“But we have long, long standing relationships with this part of the world and we need to recognise the very important relationship that we have.”

He pointed towards Saudi Arabia announcing a £1 billion investment in green aviation fuel in Teesside.

“That’s the kind of thing we want to encourage - doesn’t in any way mean we can’t stick to our principles and raise those issues that we all care about,” he added.

Mr Johnson has faced criticism for the trip after Saudi Arabia executed 81 people on Saturday.

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