MOSCOW, March 9. /TASS/. Russia may decide to re-orient its oil and gas supply deliveries from Europe to other customers before the European Union decides to slam the door shut, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a meeting on global oil and gas markets in the Kremlin.

He said that from April 25, EU countries plan to impose additional restrictions on Russian hydrocarbons, including on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is to be completely banned in 2027.

"In this regard, the government has already set the task of evaluating the possibility and feasibility of stopping our fuel supplies to the European market, without waiting for the door to be demonstratively slammed in front of us," Putin said. "The task is to do it now and to redirect these volumes from the European markets to more promising areas, and, most importantly, to gain a foothold there."