BRUSSELS, September 12. /TASS/. The European Union has gone too far in its anti-Russian sanctions and cannot roll back, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov told journalists on Monday ahead of departing from Brussels.
"They [EU countries] have gone too far and cannot retreat. For instance, they could turn on the Nord Stream 2’s tap. Sand their problem will be resolved. But it would mean the failure of their entire policy, which is geared to defeat Russia and its president. Naturally, turning on Nord Stream 2 in such a situation would mean to recognize their failure," he said, adding that by now, the European Union’s sanction drive has largely been exhausted.
"As a matter of fact, their key problem now is gas. They cannot refuse from Russian gas, no matter how they might want it. It doesn’t mean that all of them are 100% dependent on Russian gas. Of course, not. There are countries, which don’t import it at all. But in general, the European Union’s economy cannot do without Russian gas so far. That is why it was no surprise for me that they have failed to reach accord on the upper limit of prices on Russian gas," the Russian diplomat said, adding that as a result Europe "is in for a harsh winter."
"They will probably manage to survive this winter," he said. "Now their storage facilities are filled to some 80% It means that these resources might be enough but no one knows what will be in a year. In France, where most of electricity is generated by nuclear power plants, half of the reactors are shut down for repairs and overhaul. But France will be unwilling to ‘feed’ entire Europe, even if all of its facilities are operable.".