Russian Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev warned that refusing Russian energy sources makes Europe push itself into a terrible trap and fall into a "serious dependence on US gas". From there, Europe will have to do a lot as required by Washington.
EU members will pay the price with what remains of sovereignty. And Greenland is just the beginning" - Mr. Medvedev pointed out.
Russian Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev called the European Union's decision to impose a complete ban on the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia as well as Russian gas transported through pipelines a "stupid" move.
Mr. Medvedev reiterated that, according to experts' estimates, abandoning Russian gas would cost the EU about 17% of its current gas imports.
The Russian politician added that EU member states are preparing plans to diversify gas supplies before March 1st, which shows that it is still unclear where the EU will compensate for this shortage. "And whether an acceptable solution will emerge is still a mystery," Medvedev said.
He also noted that Russia's energy import ban was passed by the EU in the harsh winter context, when the remaining gas reserves in European underground storage are less than 40%. He cited data showing gas reserves below 25% in the Netherlands, below 30% in France and at 32% in Germany.
In essence, the formula for the systemic crisis that the EU pushes itself into is ready: Less and less Russian gas and higher prices" - he pointed out.
According to the Vice Chairman of the Russian Security Council, this series of decisions causes stagnation in the leading economies of Europe, as well as reduced industrial production and jobs.
As a result, income and consumption decreased, leading to a situation where "Europeans have to save everything, wear 3 layers of clothes because it's cold in the house," he concluded.
