Medvedev said that Russia does not want to shut off gas to Europe

MOSCOW, August 26 – PRIME. Russia does not want to cut off gas to Europe, it has been supplying it for decades, but it has stepped into the wake of US policy, if the FRG wants to buy LNG from Canada, although it is many times more expensive than pipeline from Russia, let them buy it, Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said.

“We don’t want to cut off anything. We’ve been supplying gas to Europe for decades. Europe was satisfied and we were satisfied. So, relations should be pragmatic. But now Europe has fallen into the wake of American policy,” Medvedev said in an interview with the French TV channel’s Darius Roshbain program. LCI.

He recalled the US proposal made during the Trump presidency to supply liquefied natural gas.

“It is very expensive, it is almost unrealistic. But now Europe has brought itself to the point where it is seriously considering this option. Piped gas is much cheaper, and liquefied natural gas is terribly expensive,” Medvedev said.

“It got to the point that Chancellor Scholz went to Canada to negotiate the supply of liquefied natural gas, motivating his desire by the fact that it is better to buy gas in a democratic, close country than from Russia. Well, let him buy,” he concluded.

Medvedev also added that Russia is ready to supply Europe with gas in the volumes prescribed in the contracts, but if the EU twists its arms, refusing to supply repaired turbines for Nord Stream or the launch of Nord Stream 2, then there will be no volumes for which they count.

“We never refused to supply gas to Europe. We built Nord Stream 2, we fulfilled all obligations, but we were told that your gas is not needed, moreover, we will not be able to pay in euros and dollars, because now we “we cover our correspondent relations with your banks. We then decided that in this case the only option for us was to use the ruble as a means of payment. That is, these are the consequences of the sanctions war that was unleashed by the West. Yes, and now we are ready to supply gas to those volumes that are contracted,” the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council said.

However, according to Medvedev, the volume of deliveries will depend on the position of Western and European countries.

“If they twist our arms, if they prohibit payments, or if they refuse to supply repaired turbines or to launch Nord Stream 2, this kind of supply will probably not be in the volumes that Western countries are counting on,” — he summed up.