Speaking after meeting with the Hungarian Foreign Minister at the Kremlin on March 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow could proactively stop supplying gas to the EU without waiting for the bloc to officially ban imports.
There is no political motive here. But if we are blocked in 1 or 2 months, it is better to stop right now and move to countries that are reliable partners, establish a position there," Putin said, while saying he would direct the government to work with energy businesses on this possibility.
According to the Russian leader, in the context of the EU repeatedly declaring that it will completely end its dependence on Russian resources, Moscow may redirect energy flows to emerging markets. He believes that the energy crisis that Europe has experienced recently stems from the bloc's long-standing wrong policies.
Mr. Putin emphasized that Russia "has always been and remains a reliable energy supplier" to partners, including European countries, but cooperation can only continue with similar "reliable" parties.
Among them, he especially mentioned Eastern European countries such as Slovakia and Hungary - countries that still maintain close energy relations with Moscow despite pressure from Brussels.
After the meeting, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that Budapest had received guarantees from Moscow for oil and gas supplies.
According to Mr. Szijjarto, the two sides agreed that if the current transport routes encounter obstacles for any reason, they will seek alternative solutions, including sea transport options in case the pipeline is interrupted.
Hungary and Slovakia recently had their Russian crude oil supplies disrupted after Ukraine closed the Druzhba oil pipeline at the end of January. Kiev claimed the line was damaged by Russian long-range attacks, while Moscow denied the accusation.
Budapest and Bratislava believe that Kiev has "extorted money" politically by deliberately blocking supply. In response, Slovakia terminated the emergency power supply mechanism for Ukraine, while Hungary vetoed the EU's 90 billion euro loan package for Kiev as well as the new sanctions package against Russia.
If Russia really actively stops supplying gas, the EU may face another energy shock, in the context that the bloc has not yet fully recovered after the record price increase in 2022-2023.
Despite diversifying supply sources, increasing imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and promoting renewable energy, many member countries are still dependent on old infrastructure and long-term contracts with Russia.
The message from the Kremlin shows that Moscow no longer wants to be passive in the face of potential sanctions. Instead of waiting to be excluded from the European market, Russia can actively "pivot" to Asia and developing economies - where energy demand is still increasing sharply.
