The European Union can only blame its own policies for record gas prices as some of its members resell cheap Russian gas at much higher prices within the bloc, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.
Putin also called on the EU to approve a new Russian gas route, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, to ease the price crunch.
"The additional gas supplies on the European gas market would surely reduce the price on an exchange, on the spot ," Putin was quoted as saying by news agency RIA at a joint meeting of the State Council and a council on science and education. "This does not increase the Russian gas volumes on the European market, so the price is rising," Putin said according to Interfax news agency, about the reverse flows.
Russia has repeatedly dismissed charges it has played politics over gas and says it is meeting all the amounts it is contracted to supply. Companies with supply deals have also said their contracts have been met.Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak also said Europe was missing out on additional Russian supplies because of delays to Nord Stream 2.
"The countries, which receive gas via the long-term deals, they receive it much cheaper," Novak said.
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