The Russian authorities have finally realized that Europe can cope without gas from Russia. The EU will not freeze up or use firewood and forage instead, and it will not beg its mighty neighbor to bring the gas back. The European countries will simply find another supplier. That’s why, the Russian Federal Subsoil Resources Management Agency reiterated that it was necessary to increase gas export to the Asian countries.
The agency said that the Europeans turned out to be in a serious mood and not so cold-sensitive as they were thought to be, so the demand for the Russian gas will be weakening up to its complete rejection. Within the Strategy for mineral resources base development until 2030 project, the Russian authorities have officially claimed that a gas war with Europe is lost. More precisely, the European counterpart didn’t enter it. It’s a bitter feeling when you had digged in, got ready to withstand a siege, put all available gas armory on a war footing, checked all pipeline valves, but your enemy just didn’t come. The new strategy at least factors in the real facts such as that the European customers will not change their decision.
“Downfall of relations between Russia and the Western countries has already resulted in a decrease of gas export to the EU and Ukraine. The recent developments indicate that falling European demand for the Russian pipeline gas is not a temporary problem, but a long-term tendency which will have a direct impact on the commodity and trade policy of Russia in the coming decades,” the agency’s report said. Russia can only hope that after a sharp change of direction to the East, the Asian countries will prove to be reliable customers.
