The cut off of Russian gas supplies to Europe has caused people there to freeze and factories and businesses to close. This was stated by the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, in an interview with Al Arabiya TV channel.
Parts of his interview were also distributed by the TASS state agency.
Dmitry Medvedev's claim that Europe is cold and Europeans are cold is in the context of a conversation about the sanctions imposed by Western countries on Russia. According to Medvedev's thesis, the sanctions themselves do not affect the Russian economy, but instead they have a detrimental effect on the European countries themselves and directly on their citizens, who suffer.
Medvedev also mentioned the imminent return of Donald Trump to the White House, who intended to further restrict Russian gas supplies to Europe in order to sell American energy products.
We remind you that in March 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had signed a decree on the rules for gas trade with the so-called called "hostile countries" which requires all Western countries hostile to Russia to open ruble accounts in Russian banks to pay for the gas they receive.
From the text of the document it follows that this will only affect the supplies of "Gazprom" along pipelines. Gazprombank has been designated as an authorized bank for foreign buyers to open special accounts in rubles to pay for gas supplies.
The US Treasury Department announced on Thursday that it is imposing sanctions on "Gazprombank". Some American restrictions have affected the bank before, but the new sanctions have cut it off completely from the dollar system and the SWIFT system.
Furthermore, the US Treasury has warned the world's banking sector that linking to Russia's Financial Messaging System (SPFS), which Moscow is trying to replace SWIFT with, will also pose risks of US sanctions for banks .
From January 1, 2025. Ukraine plans to stop the transit of Russian natural gas to Europe, after the expiration of the current contract with "Gazprom" on December 31, 2024
Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly said they have no intention of renewing that agreement as part of their efforts to reduce Russia's revenue from energy resources that fund the military.
This decision will affect countries in Central Europe that still rely on Russian gas passing through Ukraine, such as Slovakia, Hungary and Austria.
These countries are working on finding alternative energy sources and delivery routes to ensure their energy security after transit stops.
The European Commission also does not intend to negotiate with Russia on the continuation of the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine and is taking measures to further reduce dependence on Russian energy resources.
However, Russia has expressed readiness to continue supplying gas to Europe through Ukraine after 2024 if Ukraine agrees to renew the transit agreement.
On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Florida businessman and Trump campaign sponsor Stephen Lynch is asking the US government to allow him to bid for the sale of "Nord Stream 2" when the pipeline is put up for auction. as part of the bankruptcy proceedings in Switzerland.
"This is a unique opportunity for American and European control over energy supplies to Europe until the end of the fossil fuel era," Lynch explained the meaning of the future deal. Also, according to him, the purchase of the pipeline will give the Americans leverage in any negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
"Nord Stream 2", estimated at 11 billion dollars, will be possible to buy "for pennies", the businessman expects.