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Putin cautions against subverting economic common sense

According to the Russian leader, Poland halted operation of the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline through sanctions

MOSCOW, September 7. /TASS/. Objective economic laws must not be undermined because this move eventually boomerangs, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).i

"Objective economic laws should not be subverted, because it would boomerang completely," the head of state said, commenting on gas supplies to Europe.

Poland halted operation of the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline through sanctions, Putin said. "Was it due to political considerations? Not only. It turned out that the Poles purchased gas from us at higher prices than the Germans. They shut the pipeline and immediately started buying [Russian gas - TASS] from Germany using the reverse flow scheme. It was a bit cheaper. The Germans, at the same time, receiving the cheapest gas, started selling to the Poles at a bit higher price. That’s all," Putin explained.

However, these pragmatic decisions hurt European consumers, the Russian leader said. "The volume of our gas to Europe declined, and the price soared immediately. So there were losses again," he added.