“I hope that many countries will oppose”: Serbia called on the EU to abandon plans to limit the price of gas from Russia

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has warned European Union countries that the introduction of a ceiling on Russian gas prices will lead to Moscow deciding to refuse to supply energy raw materials to the continent.

“If the EU decides on September 30 to limit the price of gas from Russia – and I hope many countries will oppose it – then the Russians may decide to turn off gas to Europe.

After that, the price of gas doesn’t matter anymore, you just don’t have it, you all freeze,” Vučić said in an interview with the Serbian television channel TV Pink.

His words are quoted by TASS.

Earlier, the President of Serbia has repeatedly pointed out that the situation in Europe has noticeably worsened due to anti-Russian sanctions.

The upcoming winter in Europe will be cold, and next winter will be "polar", he said, stressing that his country managed to avoid disaster thanks to the timely purchase of Russian gas.

At the same time, in May, Vucic, in a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin, agreed that Russia would continue uninterrupted gas supplies to Serbia.

Later, he emphasized that Belgrade received the most favorable price for Russian gas among all European countries.

On September 30, an extraordinary meeting of EU energy ministers will take place, during which they will have to approve new measures in response to high energy prices.

At the same time, according to the British edition of The Guardian, the European Commission abandoned plans to introduce a ceiling on gas prices from Russia.

Instead, an initiative is moving forward to impose additional taxes on the excess profits of energy companies.

A possible cap on Russian energy prices is an “absolutely stupid decision” that will not lead to anything good if they try to implement it.

This was stated by Vladimir Putin at the plenary meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum 2022.

“We will simply not implement them (decisions of a political nature. -

) and will not supply anything at all if this is contrary to our interests, in this case economic.

We will not supply gas, nor oil, nor coal, nor fuel oil - we will not supply anything.

We will fully comply with our contractual obligations.

I want to note that those who impose something on us are not in the position today to dictate their will to us.

Let them come to their senses,” the head of state explained on September 7.

He stressed that the Russian side will not do anything imposed from the outside: “We will only have one thing left - as in the famous Russian fairy tale, to say: “Cold, freeze, wolf tail.”

• Putin with the words “Freeze, freeze, wolf tail!”

  commented on the position of the West on energy

Russia simply will not sell raw materials to those who are trying to set a price ceiling, Igor Ananskikh, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Energy, said in a conversation with RT.

“The most important thing is market prices.

Everything else doesn't work.

Only market relations work.

When one side tries to break them, the relationship fails.

We do not have global sales problems, and we will find where to supply our products, ”said the RT interlocutor.

In turn, Igor Yushkov, an expert at the Financial University under the Government of Russia and a leading analyst at the National Energy Security Fund, drew attention to the fact that Europe is already facing a gas shortage.

“The economic blow to the Europeans will be huge, even with the current gas supplies from Russia to Europe.

The prices will be very high.

There is already a huge shortage of gas in Europe, and in winter it will be even greater.

Because in the summer the cost was already at the level of $2-3 thousand. It is expected that many enterprises will close because they cannot afford to buy enough gas.

If Russia stops gas supplies, then the energy crisis will worsen, and the Europeans will turn off the supply of raw materials to all their industrial consumers, ”the expert explained in an interview with RT.

Also on russian.rt.com “People can’t accept this hypocrisy”: why the population of Serbia does not support the course towards joining the EU

On September 16, Alexander Vučić also met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and drew his interlocutor's attention to the fact that Belgrade is in a more difficult situation in terms of energy purchases than Budapest.

“Victor managed to defend within the European Union the right to receive Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline.

Of course, no one asked us, because we are not part of the EU and, as a third country, since November we will not be able to import Russian oil, which today is 20-25% cheaper than from Kirkuk and other types of oil,” the president explained. Serbia.

Orban, speaking about the restrictions adopted by the West in the energy sector against Russia, noted that we are talking about the fact that "energy dwarfs" impose sanctions against the "energy giant".

In his opinion, the anti-Russian sanctions policy can "absorb everything that Europe has achieved over the past ten years."

“In my opinion, this cannot lead to anything good,” said the Hungarian prime minister.

“If we lifted the sanctions, then the situation (in Europe. -

) would immediately improve.”