MOSCOW, November 29. /TASS/. Europe can theoretically do without Russia, but then it will suffer "very serious consequences" and lose competitiveness, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"Hypothetically speaking, Europe can do without Russia, but then Europe loses its competitiveness, because then it has to buy the same goods, be it energy resources or something else, in other places, but three times over the price, which leads to the pre-bankruptcy state of European industry, specific manufacturers, very serious consequences," he said.
"That is why our products are still popular and they buy them, including in European countries," Peskov added.
He was commenting on reports about large volumes of Russian liquefied natural gas bought by the EU countries, as well as the Czech Republic’s proposal to exclude Russian steel from the list of sanctioned goods.
Earlier, Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Sikela confirmed that the Czech Republic formally requested that European Union (EU) sanctions authorities extend their waiver of the ban on imports of Russian steel until 2028 since such supplies are vitally critical for the Czech economy.
The minister said he is convinced that the EU should stick to the approach that suggests that sanctions should first of all affect those they are targeted at, not those imposing them.
Sikela noted that the Czech Republic cannot do without Russian steel in the construction industry, for example, in the construction of bridges.