'Russia ready to deliver gas to EU if West does not impose restrictions,' avers Medvedev

Russia on Friday claimed it can ship its gas to Europe if the West does not interfere in the matter. The big remark from Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev came on Friday when he was speaking to France’s LCI TV Channel, Russian news agency TASS reported. During the interview, he reiterated that Moscow is ready to deliver gas in contracted volumes if the West does not twist its arms by conditions.

"We are ready to supply gas in volumes that were contracted even now. However, this will definitely depend on the position of Western countries, and the position of European countries," Medvedev said. Further, he noted if the West tries to ban Russia or prevent the delivery of repaired turbines or the Nord Stream 2, Moscow will not release the gas as per the expectations.   

EU plans to ban Russian gas and oil in trouble

It is crucial to note that ever since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war, the EU announced a partial embargo on Russian energy sources. However, its intention to decrease its dependency seems to be in trouble. The European countries at first approached the Gulf nations to meet their demands but after facing failure in securing a deal with the Gulf nations, they turned towards the Middle East and the Mediterranean regions. Notably, Europe depends on Russia for roughly 40% of its natural gas needs. Currently, the European leaders have vowed to reduce their dependence by two-thirds.

Earlier in April, the European leaders approached the gas and oil-rich Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members to avert an energy crisis after limiting its dependency on Russian energy resources. The European leaders asked the GCC to increase the production of hydrocarbon. However, GCC reportedly denied delivering the need saying constraints in production and the fact that most of their future production is locked in long-term contracts with Asian clients. On the other hand, several countries like Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia, are enjoying cap free supply of Russian oil, despite being EU members. 

Putin warns EU sanctions will backfire

Earlier in June, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the European and Western sanctions on Moscow a "mad" step as he believed this could lead the European Union to lose nearly $400 billion. While speaking at 25th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum-- an annual Russian business event for the economic sector-- which is also popularly known as "Russian Davos", Putin said the country’s economy will overcome sanctions in the coming months. He emphasised that Russia has been focusing on minimising the effect of sanctions in a composed and professional manner.

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