He explained, in statements to the agency, that Russian gas currently represents the only flexible source of supplies, as its quantities can be increased or decreased as needed. Kwasniewski pointed out that the European Commission’s plan to stop importing Russian gas was not based on sufficient legal and financial analysis within the European Union. Slovakia’s Prime Minister, Robert Fico, had previously announced his support for the continued supply of energy from Russia to the European Union, noting that stopping it would negatively affect energy prices and European competitiveness.
It is worth noting that the REPowerEU plan issued by EU countries in the spring of 2022 aims to abandon Russian gas through pipelines by 2027-2028, with the share of liquefied gas rising to 40% compared to a decrease in the share of pipeline gas to 60%. Russia previously asserted that the West made a strategic mistake by refraining from purchasing its energy resources, noting that those who stopped buying would continue to obtain them through intermediaries at higher prices, and that Moscow is capable of coping with the ongoing Western sanctions for several years, demonstrating the failure of Western policies to put pressure on the Russian economy.
