EU urges member states to slash gas use by 15% to counter ‘Russian blackmail’

Call for voluntary cut until March 2023 with binding reduction targets possible when Moscow likely' halts supplies

The European Union's executive body has urged member states to slash their gas consumption by 15%, as it warned that a complete shutdown of Russian supplies was likely".

The EU has been scrambling to wean itself off Russian gas since the invasion of Ukraine, but is alarmed about a potential energy crisis this winter.