President Vladimir Putin said that after the leader of Belarus threatened to interrupt the supply of energy to the energy-stressed continent in the face of more EU sanctions, he would discuss the issue of natural gas flowing to the EU with Alexander Lukashenko.
Putin said that any interruption in the supply of natural gas would threaten the relationship between the two countries as transit partners.
Putin said in an interview with Russian TV on Saturday: “He may be able to, although it is not good, I will of course talk to him if it is not just hot air.” The pipeline that passes through Belarus is owned by Russia’s Gazprom PJSC. This reduces the risk of any downtime.
Putin’s remarks may bring some relief to the European natural gas market. After Russia reiterated its commitment to fulfill its supply obligations, the benchmark price fell on Friday.
Lukashenko said that if the European Union imposes severe penalties on Belarus, he may stop gas transportation. Futures prices have soared the day before, and Belarus has sent thousands of migrants (mainly from the Middle East) to the Polish border.
The price of natural gas is more than half higher than the record set in early October, but due to the uncertainty of Russian supply before the winter, it is still nearly four times higher this year.
Putin said: “Theoretically, Lukashenko, as the president of the transit country, may order the cut off of our supply to Europe, although this would violate our transit contract.” “I hope not to that point.”
No warning
Putin said that Lukashenko did not warn Russia before issuing the threat. “He never told me about it, or even hinted at it.”
As the immigration crisis on the border between Belarus and the EU worsened, Putin said he hoped that German Chancellor Merkel and Lukashenko would talk to each other as soon as possible, rather than through him. He denied that Russia was involved in the immigration crisis bordering the European Union.
Putin and Merkel plan to step down before the end of the year, and they have made two calls in the past week.
In the past year, Lukashenko rejected European efforts to mediate conflicts with his country and refused to answer calls from some Western leaders, including Merkel.
Poland accused the Kremlin of orchestrated the artificial flow into the border from countries such as Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. Putin’s economic and political support allowed Lukashenko to survive the massive demonstrations against his 27-year rule and the condemnation of his brutal suppression of the opposition by the United States and the European Union. The authoritarian leader has increased his bet on the West, using immigrants as a weapon, and threatening to prevent natural gas supplies from Russia from crossing the border.
Putin said in an interview: “I hope everyone knows that we have nothing to do with this matter.” “Everyone is trying to put the blame on us, no matter for any reason. Our airline does not carry these people, in general So, our company doesn’t have any.”
President Joe Biden told reporters on Friday that the United States has expressed concerns about the immigration crisis to Russia and Belarus. In a statement, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization condemned the “continuous instrumentalization” of the “artificially created” immigration situation in Belarus and stated that the alliance will remain vigilant.
