Russia says it will continue to supply gas to Europe despite threats from Alexander Lukashenko

Russia will continue to supply gas to Europe in accordance with signed contracts, despite threats from Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to close the transit of the fuel through Belarus in the event of new European Union (EU) sanctions against Minsk, he declared. this Thursday the Kremlin.

“That statement has not been agreed upon (with President Vladimir Putin),” Russian Presidency spokesman Dmitri Peskov said at his daily telephone press conference.

The day before, Lukashenko threatened Europe with shutting off gas and commercial transit in response to the imminent community sanctions against his regime.

“We give heating to Europe and they threaten us to close the border. What if we close the natural gas stopcock?” Lukashenko assured during a government meeting.

In this regard, Peskov noted that Russia will continue to fully honor its commitments to European consumers.

“Putin has already said that Russia has always fulfilled its commitments,” he insisted, adding that Belarus, despite being an ally of Russia, is also a sovereign state that can make independent statements.

Lukashenko reacted yesterday with threats to the fifth package of sanctions that Brussels is preparing to punish Minsk for the migration crisis on the border with Poland, where since Monday thousands of immigrants from the Middle East have concentrated to cross into European territory.

Around 20% of the gas that the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom pumps to European consumers transits through Belarusian territory. Around a third travel through Ukraine and the rest through the Nord Stream gas pipeline, volumes that will increase when the Nord Stream 2 enters service. (I)