John Kerry: Europe's Energy Crisis Is a Bigger Threat Than Any Weapon

A failure to fully acknowledge the extent of Europe’s energy insecurities could lead to national security vulnerabilities, according to former United States Secretary of State John Kerry. NATO’s summit in Ankara, Türkiye this month displayed a recommitment to cohesion and cooperation against the backdrop of ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, but contained almost no mention of the energy crises that these conflicts have wrought, and the huge impact that the ensuing energy insecurity has on the continents’ ability to defend itself.In a recent op-ed for nonpartisan news outlet Semafor, Kerry wrote that energy insecurity is a greater danger to Europe than any military operation, and that a failure to recognize this fact could be a fatal “exposed flank in Europe’s rearmament.” While NATO members pledged billions in defense expenditures, and made detailed plans to shore up the alliances’ cohesion and military might, the summit declaration included only a single reference to energy security, representing a critical blind spot in the organization’s strategy.“Over the past four years, the price of energy has done more damage to Europe than any kinetic weapon,” Kerry writes. “It has shuttered factories across Germany’s industrial heartland. It has driven inflation that ultimately toppled governments. It has forced European taxpayers to spend roughly €650 billion shielding households and businesses from cost-of-living crises.”Europe has faced three energy crises in the last four years, stemming from Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, conflicts blocking the passage of the Red Sea in 2023 and 2024, and now the United States and Israel’s war in Iran, which has resulted in the long-term blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world's oil trade had passed on a normal day in 2025. Europe’s seeming inability to learn from these crises and take concerted efforts to avoid the next one has caused considerable outcry from the public as well as from high-ranking officials like Kerry."We swore we’d learn. We promised things would change but here we are," a ‘highly frustrated European diplomat’ was recently (anonymously) quoted by the BBC in March, as oil prices began to soar in the wake of the Strait’s closure. "Instead of concentrating on much-needed long-term plans - about how to make Europe more competitive in this increasingly volatile world, [European] prime ministers and presidents are now in a panic over [energy] prices, worried about angry voters and scrambling for short-term solutions," the source continued. "Just like the crisis after Russia’s fullscale invasion of Ukraine. Different conflict. Same European divisions; same dilemmas over energy. We can’t keep going round in these circles. Something’s got to give."Europe is now in an extremely precarious position, enduring historic and energy-threatening heat waves while also staring down the barrel of what is sure to be a ‘long, cold winter.’ The continent’s natural gas reserves are perilously low at just over 50 percent capacity, and imports are coming in at a trickle, with no relief in sight.Rectifying the situation will require lots of mutual support and cooperation to rebuild stockpiles and align geopolitical priorities. But unfortunately it looks as though NATO, an enormously politically and economically powerful alliance that would be perfectly suited to accomplish such a task, will not be part of the solution. This may end up being a critical missed opportunity with devastating consequences if pundits like Kerry are right.“Ankara proved that Europe can still summon real unity and real money when it takes a threat seriously. Energy has been used as a weapon against Europe twice in four years, and it will be again,” Kerry warns. “Deterrence in this decade will be counted in megawatts as well as divisions, and Europe does not get unlimited winters to learn this lesson.”By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.comMore Top Reads From Oilprice.comTaiwan Halts $800 Million in Spot LNG Buys From Papua New GuineaHouthis Claim Attack on Saudi Oil Tanker in Red SeaCoal Falls Below 50% Of China's Power Mix For First Time Ever