Putin: It might have been logical to stop natural gas supplies immediately

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an interview with the Russian press at the Kremlin, made statements regarding the EU's Russian gas policy and conflicts in the Middle East. Addressing the EU's decision to gradually phase out Russian gas imports, Putin said, "They are planning to impose restrictions on the purchase of Russian gas in the coming days. In 2027, they will impose a total ban on Russian gas exports. There are new markets opening up now. Perhaps it would have been logical for us to stop supplying natural gas to European markets right now. I haven't made a decision yet, I'm just thinking out loud."

Stating that according to information obtained by Russian intelligence in recent days, Ukraine could carry out sabotage against the TurkStream and Blue Stream natural gas pipelines that carry Russian gas to Turkey via the Black Sea, Putin noted that they have informed the Turkish side about this matter.

"The reason for the rise in oil prices is the embargoes imposed on Russia"

Pointing out that natural gas prices in the European market have increased, Putin said, "I repeat. This is the result of the policies that European leaders have been pursuing for years." Arguing that the most fundamental reason for this rise is the restrictions imposed on Russian oil, Putin said, "Currently, oil and natural gas prices have risen quite a bit. It should be understood that a partial reason for this increase is the restrictions imposed on Russian oil. These policies do not in any way align with the interests of the peoples of these countries."

Emphasizing that the ongoing conflict between Iran, Israel, and the US is also affecting the oil market, Putin said, "There has been no disruption in supplies, but prices have skyrocketed. Why? It stems from the general situation in global markets, especially the situation in the oil and, in this case, gas markets. Due to the events in the Middle East, customers have emerged who are ready to buy natural gas at higher prices."

"We will continue to work with our reliable partners"

Stating that they can continue to work on Russian oil with countries like Hungary and Slovakia that maintain a desire to work with them, Putin said, "We will continue to work in this way with our reliable partners in Eastern Europe, such as Slovakia and Hungary. We supply energy resources such as oil and gas to these countries, and if the leaders of these countries continue their policies of reliable partnership as they do today, we will continue to do so in the future."

Putin also said that 2 Hungarian mercenaries who joined the Ukrainian army in the war with Russia would be returned to their country at Hungary's request.

Touching upon the attack on a Russian oil tanker that was attacked by unmanned maritime vehicles off the coast of Malta while moving in the Mediterranean recently, Putin said, "This is a terrorist attack. This is not the first time we have encountered such things."