Alwaght-The Russian government played down the potential effects that could be caused by losing its European buyers of gas, saying that there are alternatives who are bidding to buy its energy supplies.
Responding to a question about whether a prolonged halt in gas exports to Europe would prove impossible in the long run, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a briefing that other buyers would be able to offset European demand.
"Europe is not the only consumer of natural gas and not the only continent that needs natural gas," Peskov said.
"There are regions developing at a much faster pace ... they can compensate for the (reduced) demand for (Russian) gas in Europe," Reuters quoted him as saying.
In July ,Russian gas giant Gazprom cut off supplies to Europe in a move causing an energy crisis to the continent as the latter declined to pay in rubles, Russia's national currency.
Russia lost part of its gas exports since earlier this year as it started its military campaign in Ukraine. Immediately after the start of the offensive, Western countries led by the US imposed sanctions on the Russian energy sector.
However, Moscow sought new purchasers. China, a major energy consumer, added to its gas imports from Russia, sometimes bought at discounted rates.
China spent 72 percent more on Russian energy purchases in June from a year earlier, as higher prices due to the war in Ukraine raised its import bill for oil, gas and coal.
Chinese buyers spent a combined $6.4 billion, up from $3.7 billion in the same month the previous year, according to customs data released on Wednesday. It brings China’s total outlay on Russian energy from March to June to $25.3 billion, nearly double the $13.5 billion spent in the same four months of 2021, according to Bloomberg.
Moscow is also discussing a major new infrastructure project to pipe gas to China via Mongolia.
