During the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russian President Vladimir Putin, commenting on Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s statement about the importance of the transit of Russian gas for the maintenance of the Ukrainian army, stressed that Russia is not obliged to feed everyone, TASS reports.
Russia could pump much more gas through the Ukraine, but Kiev is creating obstacles to this, Putin added.
“We have, firstly, a contract with the Ukraine regarding the pumping of our gas. Over the next five years, we will pump up to 40 billion cubic meters. In the best years, we pumped, I believe, almost to two hundred. Well, if there were normal relations, and we would pump a significant part through Ukraine, but problems are created. Moreover, the problems are not even in the sphere of politics, but in the sphere of economics.
Because the monopoly possibility of gas transit gives rise to the illusion that it is possible to inflate prices to the skies for this transit - on the one hand. On the other hand, they try to lower the price of gas that is purchased for the Ukraine in direct contracts between Russia and Ukraine as low as possible, this is a bad monopoly,” said Vladimir Putin.
