Russia may withdraw from the European gas market and redirect its
supplies elsewhere without waiting for the EU to ban its imports,
President Vladimir Putin has said.
The president made the remarks on Wednesday after he hosted Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto at the Kremlin.
Russia could end gas supplies to EU immediately – Putin
Moscow is considering a withdrawal without waiting
for a blanket EU ban on Russian resources, the president has said
“There’s no political motive here.
But if we’re going to get shut
off in a month or two, we’d be better off stopping now and moving to
countries that are reliable partners, and establishing ourselves there.
But that’s not a decision yet, it’s just me thinking out loud, so to
speak. I’ll definitely instruct the government to work on this issue
with our companies,”
--- Putin told Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin.
Moscow could redirect supplies to “emerging markets”
instead, given the EU’s repeatedly stated intention to phase out
Russian resources completely, Putin suggested.
- The energy crisis in the EU is the result of the “misguided policies” pursued by the bloc’s authorities over “many years,” he said.
Russia “has always been and remains a reliable energy supplier”
for all its partners, including the European nations, the president
noted.
Moscow is ready to continue work in such a manner with those
partners “who are themselves reliable,” he added.
“For
instance, with those in Eastern Europe, Slovakia, and Hungary.
- We supply them with our energy resources, both oil and gas, and we intend to continue to do so in the future.
- And the leadership of these countries will pursue the same policy as today, namely, being reliable for us,” the president explained.
Following the meeting with
Putin, Szijjarto revealed that Budapest has secured oil and gas supply
guarantees from Moscow. Russia and Hungary have agreed to work on
diversifying energy resource supply routes, he said.
“We
agreed that if transport routes become unavailable for various reasons,
we will always seek alternative solutions. For example, if pipeline oil
transportation continues to face difficulties, we will consider
maritime transport options,”
--- the diplomat said in a video address posted on Facebook.
Hungary, as well as Slovakia, has recently experienced a
disruption in Russian crude supplies after Ukraine shut down the Druzhba
oil pipeline in late January.
- Kiev has claimed the artery was damaged in Russian long-range strikes, which Moscow has denied.
- Budapest and Bratislava have accused Kiev of
- Slovakia ended its emergency electricity supply scheme for Ukraine, while
- Hungary vetoed a proposed €90 billion ($106 billion) EU loan for Kiev as well as the latest package of anti-Russian sanctions
UPDATE WAR AT SEA
Putin accuses Ukraine of attacking gas tanker that exploded and sank off Libya
Top stories
Two
prominent, separate incidents involving the sinking of Russian vessels
in the Mediterranean Sea have been linked to underwater strikes or
explosions in the past 15 months:
1. Arctic Metagaz (March 3–4, 2026)
- Incident: The Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz exploded and completely sank approximately 150 miles off the coast of Libya while en route to Port Said, Egypt.
- Alleged Cause: Russia's Transport Ministry and President Vladimir Putin officially blamed Ukrainian naval drones (USVs) for the attack.
- Casualties: All 30 Russian crew members were safely rescued by Maltese rescue services and moved to a lifeboat.
- Context: The ship was part of Russia's "shadow fleet" used to bypass Western sanctions on energy exports.
2. MV Ursa Major (December 23, 2024)
- Incident: The heavy-lift cargo ship Ursa Major sank in international waters between Spain and Algeria.
- Submarine/Torpedo Evidence:
- Spanish investigators identified hull damage consistent with an external strike by a torpedo.
- Reports suggest the damage was caused by a supercavitating torpedo, a weapon capable of extreme speeds underwater.
- Speculation points to a Western submarine intervention to prevent the ship from delivering sensitive cargo.
- Cargo: Though officially carrying empty containers, investigators concluded it was clandestinely transporting two nuclear reactor casings for submarines, likely destined for North Korea.
- Casualties: 14 crew members were rescued; two engineers remained missing.
Note on Related News: On March 4, 2026, a separate incident involved a US submarine sinking an Iranian warship (IRIS Dena) in the Indian Ocean, which marked the first US torpedo kill since WWII
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