Kremlin refutes US NSA Sullivan's claims of Russia using energy resources as weapon

Kremlin strongly disagrees with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's accusations that Russia utilises its energy resources as a weapon, according to spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

"This is an incorrect conclusion. To begin with, Europeans acknowledge that Russia is fully complying with all of its responsibilities on a state-by-state basis. Second, Russia is prepared to immediately consider new contracts, which are an undisputed damper on present market volatility; this is not a secret; it has been stated numerous times," Peskov said in a press conference.

The Kremlin official highlighted that Russia has never interrupted gas deliveries 'even in the most difficult periods,' because it never uses energy resources as a political pressure tool.

"The United States is the one that is continuously threatening penalties against purely commercial energy projects that could help to stabilise European energy markets significantly. In this case, the US is directly using energy issues as a tool for political and commercial blackmail. Russia has been and will continue to be a responsible country that is committed to its obligations and prepared to meet the growing energy resource needs of our European partners," Peskov further remarked.

The 'Energy' dispute

The tussle began on October 7, when Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov hinted that, depending on the demand, Russia would increase natural gas providers. Following that, US NSA, Jake Sullivan stated that Russia has a history of using energy as a weapon of coercion.

After negotiations with the European Union and NATO in Brussels, Sullivan, the US NSA, claimed that the US is concerned that supply is not keeping up with rising demand for a variety of reasons.

The price of a cubic metre of gas exceeded $1,700 at the start of the bid on Wednesday, and it continued to grow throughout the day, reaching more than $1,900. However, Europe's soaring gas prices dipped on Thursday, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested his country could sell more gas to European spot buyers through its domestic market in addition to existing long-term contracts.

The European Union has been struggling to fill its gas reserves as winter approaches, as member nations rely on imports for the majority of their gas supplies.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP