MOSCOW, October 8. /TASS/. Attempts to completely ban Russian gas supplies will keep gas prices high on the European market, Igor Yushkov, an expert at the Financial University and the National Energy Security Fund, wrote in a column for TASS.
"Attempts to impose a complete ban on Russian gas (in particular, supplies via the TurkStream pipeline and liquefied natural gas - LNG) will undoubtedly lead to prices remaining at elevated levels on the European market," he believes.
At the same time, overall electricity and gas prices in Europe might fall slightly in 2026 and beyond due to the planned commissioning of new liquefied natural gas plants in the United States, which will increase supply on the global market. However, if European countries are able to buy Russian gas in this situation, the price will be lower than under the embargo on Russian supplies, the expert notes.
"Therefore, Brussels, in choosing to completely reject Russian energy supplies, is deliberately pushing prices for electricity, gas, and petroleum products for ordinary Europeans higher than they would have been otherwise. And after yet another tariff increase is declared, the media will once again blame everything on Moscow's underhanded actions," Yushkov concluded.
Earlier TASS reported that the average gas price in Europe over the first nine months of the year increased by almost a quarter compared to the same period last year, to approximately $443 per 1,000 cubic meters. The rise in cost was driven by increased withdrawals during the heating season and the need to begin filling storage facilities early for winter thanks to record LNG imports.