Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev announced - on Saturday - that the European Union countries will not last a week without Russian gas.
Medvedev said, in statements reported by the Russian "Sputnik" agency today, "We appreciate the coordination and integrity of our European partners, especially given the fact that according to recent data of the International Monetary Fund, Europe will be able to do without our gas for no more than 6 months. But if We talked seriously, it won't last a week."
And "Sputnik" indicated that the European Union will ban imports of Russian coal from August, but gas shipments will continue.
While countries such as America, Canada and Britain have taken decisions to ban oil and gas from Russia, it was difficult for European countries due to their heavy dependence on Moscow to meet their energy needs.
Last month, a group of nine university economists described the implications of a complete energy ban as "manageable", saying it would affect Germany's gross domestic product by just 3%.
However, industrial leaders have warned that the impact will be more severe, and politicians have rejected claims that the economic hit will be limited, with German Chancellor Olaf Schulz describing these estimates as "wrong" and "irresponsible," according to Sputnik.
At the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Washington on Thursday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called on the European Union to "be careful" about banning Russian energy imports, warning of the damage such a move could do to the global economy.
The Russian special military operation in Ukraine continues, whose goals Moscow has set by eliminating the militarization of Ukraine, and what it describes as Nazi tendencies in this country.