Moscow Confident in Plenty of Demand for Russian LNG, Even if EU Halts Imports
04:25 GMT 22.05.2024 (Updated: 08:01 GMT 22.05.2024)
© Sputnik / Sergei Krasnoukhov
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - If the European Union bans the import of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) in one of its sanctions packages, Russia will not be left without buyers in other parts of the world, as the demand for energy resources is only growing, Director of First European Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Artyom Studennikov said.
"We will not remain without customers. The interesting thing about the LNG market, as it is known, is its global nature, liquefied gas can 'travel' around the world. The demand for it is steadily growing, and wide horizons are opening up here. But any attempts by the West to interfere with our trade with the countries of the world majority are obviously doomed to fail," Studennikov told Sputnik.
The European Union had previously imposed restrictions on the import of pipeline gas from Russia, the diplomat recalled.
"The European Union has plunged into an energy crisis, energy prices have been breaking records for many months. Over the past two years, the EU countries have tried to stabilize their energy market. But at what cost? They became heavily dependent on US LNG, becoming its largest importer," Studennikov said.
The "green" policy of the European Union is unlikely to be successful if Brussels decides to ban the import of Russian uranium products, Studennikov said.
"Without our uranium products, the 'green' growth so favored by the EU is unlikely to have a chance of success. Of course, there is also the problem of ensuring the safety of those reactors that were developed specifically for Russian fuel," Studennikov said.
Brussels acted in a similar way when it wanted to harm Russia by banning the supply of pipeline gas, the diplomat added.
In April, Belgian Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten said that Brussels intends to oppose the conclusion of new contracts for the supply of uranium for nuclear power plants from Russia.
The relations between Russia and France are in a very deep crisis, which is even difficult to compare with the Cold War period, Artyom Studennikov said.
"I would like to draw attention to the fact that Russian-French relations are already in a deep crisis, which is difficult to compare even with the Cold War period. All the main mechanisms of interstate cooperation — and not only in the political and economic spheres, but also in the field of culture, education, and sports — are blocked at the initiative of the French side," Studennikov said.
France's participation in the conflict in Ukraine officially will make it a party to the conflict, which will increase the risk of a clash of two nuclear powers, Studennikov said.
"The participation of French servicepeople in the Ukrainian conflict officially, de jure, will make France a party to it. This will inevitably increase the risk of a collision on the battlefield between two nuclear powers, which is fraught with the most unpredictable consequences," Studennikov said.
In the case of such events the French military will become legitimate targets for Russian armed forces, the diplomat added.
Openness of France, Italy to Contacts With Russia is Only Rhetoric
Moscow occasionally hears statements from France and Italy about their openness to contacts with Russia, but there are no concrete steps behind the rhetoric, Artyom Studennikov told Sputnik.
"From time to time, we actually hear from the French, and from the Italians, and from some other Europeans statements about their openness to contacts with Moscow. However, all this remains nothing more than rhetoric so far, behind which there are no concrete steps. Sometimes they just try to do this way to soften or retouch their own radical statements," Studennikov said.
Russia did not and does not have any illusions regarding the readiness of Europeans for an equal and honest dialogue, the senior diplomat added.
