Russia on Wednesday pushed back at US President Donald Trump's warning that gasoline shortages showed Russia's economy was nearing collapse.
Trump on Tuesday expressed disappointment with President Vladimir Putin, whom he said was unwilling to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
“He’s got to really settle this war. And you know, they have long lines waiting for gasoline in Russia right now,” he said, adding: “His economy is going to collapse, and I’d like to see him do well. I mean, I had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin, but he just doesn’t want to end that war, and I think it’s making him look very bad.”
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that there was a stable domestic market supply of gasoline in Russia.
"We have a stable domestic market supply, we see no problems in this regard," Novak said.
"The balance is maintained between production and consumption, and we, on the part of the government and the relevant ministries, are doing everything to ensure that this remains the case."
‘Open to dialogue’
Alexander Novak also linked negative trends in European economies to their refusal to rely on Russian gas.
"They (the EU) decided to limit the supply of Russian gas to European countries. Today, in fact, gas supplies have decreased. Previously, the share of Russian gas in Europe's balance was about 44 percent, but today it is about 19 percent of total imports. That is, it has decreased by half," he noted.
Novak cited stagnation in countries like Germany, where closures of gas processing plants, chemical facilities and industrial production units have slowed growth.
Novak also stressed that Russia remains willing to increase gas supplies to Europe if requested, adding that such arrangements should be “on mutually beneficial terms, on a partnership basis.”
He underlined Russia’s readiness for dialogue despite ongoing energy tensions.
