RIA Novosti: Europe Can't Refuse Russian Gas Without Harming Own Interests - Putin
Europe cannot refuse the delivery of Russian gas without harming its own economic interests, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a live Q&A session with the public on Thursday.
“European countries take around 34%-35% of their gas balances from Russia. Can they stop purchasing Russian gas? In my view, it’s impossible,” Putin said.
Putin gave an example of Russia’s “friendly neighbor” Finland, which buys 90 percent of its gas from Russia, and some eastern European countries buy between 60 and 70 percent of their gas from Russia.
“Can we stop deliveries? In my opinion, this is completely unrealistic. Only by harming yourself, through blood is this possible, but I can’t even imagine this,” he said.