The Flemish nationalist has held this position for a long time but, according to him, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has made a nuclear exit even less desirable, while Europe is largely dependent on supplies of natural gas from Moscow. Europe, however, agreed on Tuesday to cut its consumption of Russian gas by two-thirds by the end of the year. “Energy has become too important a political weapon”, points out Bart De Wever. “We must maintain as many nuclear power plants as possible, not just the two most recent. (…) The two oldest have certainly aged. But, if they remain safe, the other five Belgian nuclear power plants must be extended, adds he. For the president of the N-VA, Belgium cannot afford to increase its dependence on natural gas, of which Russia remains a major exporter.