MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/. Russia has been and remains the guarantor of energy security both in Europe and elsewhere around the world, press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
"Russia has always been and remains the responsible guarantor of energy security of the European continent and I would even say that on a broader, global scale. Nobody can mention any precedents in this regard," the Kremlin’s spokesman said.
The text of the statement of Germany and the United States on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline speaks about the eventual use of energy by Russia as a weapon and as a tool for political pressure, Peskov noted. Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Russia has never used energy resources as a tool for political pressure, he said.
Germany’s intention to exert its influence for the extension of gas transit from Russia via Ukraine for a decade is characterized by the Russian phrase of "the absent party’s fate is great," the spokesman said. "This paper [the Nord Stream 2 statement by the US and Germany - TASS] also says that Germany will use all the available leverage to promote the continuation of the gas transit agreement between Russia and Ukraine for 10 years. Certainly, the Russian Federation is not mentioned here at all, while this agreement can be extended between Ukraine and Russia. Therefore, the effect is slightly like <…> ‘the absent party’s fate is great’," he noted.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated the readiness of the country to discuss an extension of the gas transit agreement between Russia and Ukraine after 2024 several days ago, Peskov said. "This is exclusively the matter of economic feasibility and profitability," the presidential press secretary said.
Russia in this regard would like to see a message from the West to Ukraine regarding the need to provide economically feasible conditions for the continuation of gas transit, Peskov said. "We would like, we would prefer also to see a message to Ukraine in the joint statement that Ukraine should demonstrate a responsible position as regards the provision of economically feasible conditions for the continuation of such transit," he noted. "I regret saying we do not see such a message for Ukraine," Peskov concluded.