EU prepares emergency plan to do without Russian energy

PRAGUE (AP) — The European Union’s executive arm has pledged to draft an emergency plan aimed at helping member countries do without Russian energy in the wake of the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the initiative would build on EU moves to ditch Russian coal, oil and natural gas and would complement a bloc-wide push to accelerate the development of renewable energy such as wind and solar power.  Von der Leyen spoke Friday in the Czech town of Litomysl, where she marked the start of the country’s six-month stint as holder of the rotating EU presidency.