West News Wire: According to Moscow spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the issue between Russia and the West will unavoidably be resolved at the negotiating table. But he said that when that time comes, Moscow would be prepared to protect its interests.
He claimed on the Rossiya 1 TV Channel that Western nations “have made too many mistakes and will have to pay for them.”
The spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said, adding that it’s unlikely to happen “soon,” because “every confrontation is followed by détente and any crisis situation is resolved at the negotiating table.”
When such discussions take place, Moscow won’t think twice about defending its interests, Peskov continued. In recent years, Russia has gained “priceless experience” dealing with the West and will use it to “conduct dialogue in such a way that our interests are by no means hurt.”
The Kremlin official listed what he sees as Western errors, citing Germany’s “horrible” decision to send weapons to Ukraine for use against Russian soldiers. He also criticized European nations for supporting a government that allows “Nazis” to openly demonstrate their symbols and stage torchlit processions, calling it “no less horrible.”
Peskov also blamed the energy crisis in Europe on “absurd” decisions by European politicians, who have refused to service equipment sold by Western firms to Gazprom.
The Russian state energy giant “spent decades” earning its reputation of a reliable natural gas supplier, and has so far done nothing to tarnish it, the Kremlin spokesman claimed.
“This is not Gazprom’s fault, this is fault of those politicians, who have taken the decision on sanctions,” he said, referring to the Russian company’s recent decision to indefinitely suspend gas transit through its Nord Stream pipeline, due to technical issues.
Since the start of Russia’s offensive against Ukraine in late February, gas prices have climbed to record highs in Europe, driving up overall inflation. Moscow has cited technical issues caused by Western sanctions as the reason for the gradual decline in gas deliveries. The EU, in turn, has accused Russia of using energy exports as a weapon.
