MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th February, 2022) All interactions in the area of energy supplies should be long-term and market-based, but the Europeans have moved away from this and are now forced to buy gas at an inflated price, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sputnik.
"The (Russian) President (Vladimir Putin) spoke about energy interactions, that all our interactions in the field of energy supplies should be as transparent as possible, exclusively market-based and based on long-term contracts. This is what the Europeans have moved away from, and now they are buying gas, I'm estimating roughly, not for 300, but 1,300," Peskov said.
The European Commission said in its forecast earlier this week that energy prices in the European Union will remain high throughout 2022.
In December 2021, gas prices hit an all-time record of $2,190 per thousand cubic meters.
Russian energy giant Gazprom has repeatedly stated that the intentional EU policy of moving away from long-term contracts to spot ones has enabled higher prices and lower medium-term predictability. Russia says it stands ready to increase gas supplies to Europe, but Gazprom needs long-term contracts, as greater investments will be required.
