Putin wants to redirect Russian energy exports from Europe to Asia

"We are going to assume that in the future deliveries to the West will drop," said the Russian president during a government meeting devoted to the energy sector in the context of international sanctions.

We must therefore "reorient our exports towards the markets in the South and East which are growing rapidly", he added.

"European countries are constantly talking about doing without Russian supplies and by doing this they are destabilizing the market and driving up prices," accused the Russian president.

"Attempts by Western countries to oust Russian suppliers, to replace our energy resources with alternative supplies, will inevitably affect the entire world economy", warned Vladimir Putin, assuring that "the consequences of a such a step can become very painful and first of all for the initiators of such a policy".

"It is necessary to accelerate the implementation of infrastructure projects, rail, pipelines, ports, which will make it possible in the years to come to redirect the supplies of oil and gas from the West "to these new destinations, Putin added, citing, in addition to the "South and East", countries in Africa, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.

The president also instructed the government to work with companies on ways to replace imported foreign "products, machinery and equipment" essential to these sectors and of which they are deprived with local technologies.

This call by the Russian president to develop new outlets for Russian fossil fuels - a "turn towards Asia" and especially China, which began several years ago - comes at a time when the Europeans are considering extending their sanctions to hydrocarbons. from Russia in response to its military intervention in Ukraine.

The Russian oil and gas which continue to flow towards Europe - their first market - ensure important incomes in Moscow.

Imports of Russian natural gas into the EU Sylvie HUSSON AFP

A possible embargo on Russian gas is the subject of bitter discussions between EU member states, Germany being one of the main opponents of an immediate halt to these imports on which it is very dependent.

The EU, US and Japan announced an embargo on Russian coal and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she would propose the goal of EU independence from Russian fossil fuels by 2027.

© 2022 AFP