BRUSSELS, January 31. /TASS/. The European Union is negotiating gas supplies with the United States, as well as Qatar, and Azerbaijan, in case Russia decides to cut or stop supplies, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell wrote in his blog.
"We are prepared in case diplomacy fails and we are looking at all options. This includes improving our resilience, including by working with partners like the US, Qatar, and Azerbaijan, on the issue of gas supply in case Russia decides to reduce or halt deliveries," he wrote.
Earlier, Bloomberg, citing its sources in the EU, reported that the EU is discussing the possibility of a swap deal with a number of countries in order to avoid interruptions in gas supplies to Europe, which, in particular, may be caused by the situation around Ukraine. According to the report, the EU is discussing swap deals with Qatar and Norway. At the same time, Brussels is in close contact with Algeria and Egypt, as well as Asian countries, to find out if this kind of deal is possible.
In recent months, statements have been made in the West, as well as in Kiev, about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin called the allegations baseless, aimed at escalating tensions.