The authorities of France and Belgium refuse to support the ban on imports of Russian gas to the European Union, demanding more confirmed information about the economic and legal consequences of its possible adoption. This is reported by the American newspaper Politico. “The two largest buyers of Russian liquefied natural gas in the European Union refuse to approve Brussels’ plan to ban gas supplies from Moscow, arguing that they need additional guarantees about the economic and legal consequences of this step before making a decision,” the publication writes.
As Politico notes, Paris is seeking to implement a strategy to find alternative energy sources. In turn, Belgium wants to receive a report on the economic consequences of refusing Russian gas before making a decision.
French Energy Minister Marc Ferracci told the publication that the French authorities are defending the “European diversification strategy.” He also expressed concern that a complete refusal to buy gas from Russia could lead to private companies having to face “Russian lawsuits” over broken contracts.
Politico notes that part of the shares of the Russian gas producing company Novatek belongs to the French oil and gas company TotalEnergies.
Earlier, the German tabloid Bild reported that in 2025 the European Union will pay Russia 20 billion euros for energy and raw materials. This is several times more than the funds it allocated for military aid to Ukraine. In total, Russia will earn about 233 billion euros on the supply of gas, liquefied gas, oil, coal and uranium.
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