Exploring the legal and policy impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on energy security

There is more to any short-term economic, political, human, and environmental risks associated with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The war has likely far-reaching energy security implications of particular international concern. This paper focuses on the Russia-Ukraine war to analyse its global energy security implications from a legal and policy perspective. The war, in addition to sanctions imposed on Russia, has a potential for breach of existing energy contracts between nationals and petroleum companies from Russia and Ukraine, as well as countries sanctioning Russia. These risks would perhaps result in eventual high-profile commercial and/or investment disputes. There have been disruptive geopolitical energy supply shifts and price reactions across global energy markets since the war began. Thus, a realignment of energy geopolitics remains very high to be seen globally as a result of the war. Even so, opportunities for development in national and international energy law and policy as well as investments in new energy resources abound. This particular development will inform new directions for Russian, Ukrainian, and European countries’ energy laws and policies. This paper has implications for planning energy transitions and reimagining global energy geopolitics and energy law and policy, especially in dealing with over-dependence on foreign energy importation and/or consumption.