LONDON:  The president of the International Energy Agency Fatih Birol has urged nations to work on cutting demand and keeping nuclear power stations operating, saying that Europe needs to prepare "immediately" for Russia to cut off all gas exports to the region this winter.

Fatih Birol said, the Kremlin's recent supply limitations, which it has attributed to maintenance work, may actually be the start of larger cuts intended to prevent the filling of storage tanks in advance of the winter as Russia attempts to acquire power over the area.

In a press briefing, he stated that "Europe should be prepared in case Russian gas is fully cut off." "We are becoming more aware of Russia's ambitions as winter draws closer." "I think the cuts are intended to prevent Europe from filling its reserves and give Russia more clout throughout the winter," the report reads. EU nations are rushing to restock storage facilities, with Germany aiming to fill them to 90% capacity by November. According to the report, its stores are just halfway full.

While officials have acknowledged that the race to phase out Russian oil and gas would mean burning more coal and maintaining nuclear plants, member states have also been working to reduce their reliance on Russian fossil fuels by sourcing gas from other countries, including the US, and by hastening the switch to renewable energy.

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