Rules and principles

Despite the fact that the official response of the Russian Federation to all sorts of price ceilings for domestic energy carriers is still in the process of detailed study (now there is really nowhere to rush, and the devil is always hiding in the details, so thoroughness is quite justified here), there is no doubt about its content. who especially don't.

At least, his press secretary Dmitry Peskov and the "energy" Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak have already spoken about his general provisions, without specifics.

Yes, and the president himself said something, also so far without details, to reporters.

Well, in order for them to become even less of these doubts, for example, it is enough to watch the interview that was released over the weekend to the popular Arab channel Asharq News of the Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation Anton Siluanov.

Which among people who understand has always been considered an exceptionally diligent and pragmatic person.

And although he was ranked among the economic liberals, he did not rattle his tongue in vain: the position, excuse me, obliges.

So.

“Russia,” Anton Germanovich rapped out in this interview, “as a matter of principle will not supply oil at the prices set by the West and will look for new markets even with rising costs.”

This confirms not only the very fact that we can find our own, no less immutable principles of the traditional world for any of your “immutable rules of the civilized world” , which she finds at the most inopportune moment in this tall grass), but also in a much more practical sense of the word, confirming Russia's readiness to reduce energy production as well.

If it is, of course, required.

And the addressee of this message was not only and not so much the “civilized” West, but also quite a traditional East: the choice of Asharq News as a kind of relay for the message of the head of the Russian Ministry of Finance in this configuration also looks by no means accidental.

Financiers in this sense are generally scary people.

They not only know the price of the spoken word, but they can also calculate it with a certain accuracy.

Therefore, Anton Germanovich did not pull the beast respected in the East - the cat - for two well-known subjects.

But he simply reminded his listeners in the East, and - there is no doubt - in the West, the words of President Putin.

And then he also added on his own behalf: “How will this affect the economy, the country's budget, and the volume of production?

Yes, you may have to limit production somewhere.

But now we see that our companies, our oil companies are reorienting their supply lines from west to east, to the south, to other countries.”

And indeed it is.

The Russian authorities and business - no one hides this - are currently looking for new consumers of energy resources, other markets and other logistics.

Perhaps the Russian economy will even lose something on this, but quite within reason.

We are ready for this, as it turns out.

You can love Anton Germanovich, you can not love it, but somehow it's hard not to agree that the Russian Minister of Finance is a more than responsible person.

And there is no need to invent anything: there is a demand for energy carriers in the world, it will not go anywhere.

And it will only grow, and even if Europe, gradually falling into insanity, also falls into a recession long predicted by everyone and now being put into practice.

Yes, traditional markets are a bit of a pity.

But any continent, any economic zone, like any person, is the master of its own destiny.

And what is happening now in the European energy markets is only a confirmation of the old thesis: there is simply no economic sovereignty without political sovereignty.

Actually, what was required to prove.

We certainly sympathize with Europe, which the Americans are mercilessly handing out, including in the field of energy.

But now it’s much more interesting for us and our (and Arab too) oilmen when they finally figure out their attitude to COVID-19 and get out of a series of lockdowns in China.

And not only friendship with China matters: Russia is now finding other foreign markets for its goods.

Plus, I finally began to take a closer look at the domestic market.

There is nothing particularly surprising in this: energy is a scarce commodity.

And this, as you understand, for a country that is in fact the beneficiary and manager of the movement of scarce goods on global markets, it would be rather stupid, including from a purely practical point of view, not to understand.

Which, in fact, the Minister of Finance of this country in an interview with Asharq News rather dryly stated.

And with this - with such a position of the Russian Federation - one can agree or disagree.

But not to be considered - it is impossible.

Now, in fact, as regards Europe, latently present in all these conversations, and it is not alien to us and to the Arabs, in general: everything is really somehow not very fun there.

Eurostat has already calculated: only gas purchased instead of Russian “on free markets” has already cost the economies of the subcontinent about €1 trillion.

And the crisis itself has not even really begun.

What is especially curious is that the physical energy consumption in the EU countries fell by more than 20% (especially for pedants - by 20.1%, according to the same Eurostat).

And this happened by no means because of the “rational consumption” so advertised now in European countries.

And because of the cost of energy.

What this means is clear.

Just like in the old Soviet joke about rising in price vodka: “Dad, tell me, are you going to drink less or will we eat even less?”

And this, including, just in fact, has led to a jump in prices for consumers: for electricity - ten times, for gas - five times.

And also to a drop in production and, at best, the suspension of a number of industrial enterprises.

In general, everything is exactly as Anton Germanovich Siluanov said, who, like any good financier, is a rather ruthless creature in his analysis: “In fact, what happened?

What the Americans wanted to realize happened: their oil and gas supplies to the European market increased.

But at what cost to Europe?

At the cost of increasing inflation and reducing the competitiveness of European enterprises.”

And, as a matter of fact, I would not like, of course, to talk about it so categorically during the Christmas holidays, but this is already a verdict.

No, not yet the economies of continental Europe: fortunately, they are rather cumbersome and inertial.

And hopefully (again, our traditional markets, after all), these economies have not yet passed the point of no return.

But for the current European elites, almost by the collar dragging the economies of their countries into this damn abyss to please the “senior partners” on the other side of the ocean, this is definitely a verdict.

And who, if not the head of the Russian Ministry of Finance, is, excuse me, not to know this: after all, we, too, to be honest, were very ... hmm ... disciplined in this sense.

At least in the financial and economic bloc they tried to "play by the rules" to the last, for which we had to pay quite dearly as a result.

But, albeit at a high price, we were still able to understand that our own principles are always more important than any other people's "rules".

Especially if, as in that somewhat obscene proverb, you are once again offered to play blackjack against the owner of the casino.

The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.