"Russia may completely exit the European gas market."
Medianews.az citing "Qafqazinfo" reports that the country's president Vladimir Putin said this in an interview with the "Rossiya 24" channel.
He stated that the government will be instructed to stop gas supplies to the European Union.
The Russian leader reported that Ukraine attacked a Russian tanker in the Mediterranean Sea with unmanned underwater vehicles and reacted strongly to this. According to him, this incident is a terrorist attack, and Russia is not encountering such cases for the first time.
Putin also said that Ukraine's attacks on energy infrastructure are harming Europe and that attacks on the "TurkStream" and gas pipelines passing through Ukraine are being planned.
The Russian President noted that the price increase in the European gas market is not related to suppliers. According to him, suppliers, namely the USA, Norway, Algeria, and Russia, have not reduced gas supply. Putin believes that the price increase is related to buyers being ready to pay higher prices for natural gas from Europe following events in the Middle East.
Touching on plans to fully ban Russian gas in Europe, including liquefied natural gas, Putin stated that new markets are opening and that other directions might be more profitable for Russia.
"Perhaps currently stopping supplies to the European market would be more profitable for us. We can enter the opening markets and strengthen our position," Putin said.
He added that they are not approaching this matter politically and that the option of directing Russian gas to countries considered reliable partners can be considered. Putin also emphasized that he will instruct the government to investigate this issue together with energy companies.
The Russian President noted that more attractive markets than Europe may emerge and that many gas suppliers, including the USA, may also head to those markets.