Russian energy “ensured economic and social well-being” of the bloc for a long time, the president has said
The economic hardships of EU member states primarily come down to Brussels’ decision to forgo Russian oil and gas imports, President Vladimir Putin told the ‘Russian Energy Week’ forum on Wednesday. The bloc has only foiled its economic growth while Moscow reoriented itself to the Asian markets, he added.
EU nations are “currently overpaying for their oil and gas supplies,” Putin said, adding that the EU’s economy is demonstrating “nearly zero” growth as a result. In September, the European Commission said in its economic forecast that the bloc’s economic growth had been revised to just 0.8% in 2023 from the initially projected 1%. The growth forecast for 2024 was also changed from 1.7% to 1.4%.
Russia’s energy products had “ensured economic and social well-being of the European Union for many years,” the president…