Russia has practically found an alternative to the European gas market, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his speech at the ‘Russian Energy Week’, where he announced that the country intends to expand energy supply. to Asian countries.
“We have practically already found it. The volumes [of supplies] are still smaller than those in Europe, but they will increase as the economies of these countries grow, I don’t see any problems,” Putin said, in statements reported by the Tass agency.
For the Russian head of state, Europe cannot do without Russian gas at the moment, while, regarding purchases of American gas, he noted that “production volumes there are also limited”, underlining the difficulty of increasing them in the future. short term.
In this sense, Putin has acknowledged that Russia is studying how to expand supply volumes to Asian countries. “We are thinking about how to build new routes or recondition them,” the Russian president said.
The Russian leader made reference in his speech to the beginning of the supply of Russian gas to Uzbekistan through the Central Asia-Central system, which passes through Kazakhstan.
“These are still small volumes. For these republics they are important, but as their economies grow, they will not have enough volume, it is already clear,” he noted.
Likewise, Putin also indicated that Iran is discussing with Russia the possibility of supplying Russian gas to its market. “Iranian partners are also discussing with us the possibilities of supplying Russian gas to the Iranian market,” the president noted.
On the other hand, according to Interfax, the Russian president has expressed his confidence that the coordination of oil producers within OPEC will continue.
“For the stability of the oil market, interaction between the main suppliers in open and transparent conditions is necessary. It is in this logic that Russia works with partners within OPEC,” he assured.
“I am sure that the coordination of the actions of OPEC partners will continue; this is important for the predictability of the oil market and, ultimately, for the well-being of all humanity,” he emphasized.