Across the European Union, energy prices remain highly sensitive to global instability — and recent developments are adding new pressure.

The Ring turns its attention to the ripple effects of escalating tensions in the Middle East, where disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz are tightening global oil supply. The United States has broadened a sanctions waiver allowing all countries to purchase Russian oil currently stranded at sea. This decision has prompted unease among European leaders, who fear it could weaken efforts to isolate Moscow.

How should the EU respond to rising costs while staying aligned with its political commitments? And how can Europe safeguard both its energy security and its strategic independence in an unpredictable global environment?

For French MEP Fabrice Leggeri, from the far-right Patriots for Europe group, the European Commission is to blame for energy dependencies: “It imposed sanctions in a very ideological way without having any kind of assessment of the internal consequences”.

On the other hand, Finnish MEP Jussi Saramo, from The Left, defends investing in the green transition across the EU: “If we want to answer people’s problems today, this decade, we need to build renewables, not nuclear power. We are late, but it’s time to start.”

Both MEPs also disagreed on their views on the US and Israel’s attack on Iran. While both agree that the regime in Tehran should collapse, Saramo argues that “bombing schools doesn’t help the Iranian people in their fight.”