Deputy Prime Minister Novak - European Union's criticism of the diesel contract is against the interests of consumers

Alexander Novak said that since Europe began to move away from affordable and sustainable sources from Russia, its costs have increased.

Moscow, October 16. /TASS/. Alexander Novak, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, said at the Russian Energy Week Forum: "The European Union's criticism of Russian diesel supply is against the interests of European consumers, because politics in Europe takes precedence over rational decision-making."

"As for the criticism of our European partners, we are used to their decisions and political statements that go against the pragmatic demands of the market and consumers," Novak said. It is European consumers who suffer first and foremost.

He noted that since Europe began to move away from affordable and stable supplies from Russia, its costs have increased. The deputy prime minister emphasized: Many manufacturing plants have been transferred to other countries, there are bankruptcies and business closures. However, politics currently dominates rational solutions that benefit consumers.

Novak noted that since 2022, Russia has supplied energy resources worth $320 billion to Europe, compared to $21.3 billion in the first nine months of 2026.

Novak concluded: "It was not Russia that withdrew from cheap and stable energy supply, but Europe that made this decision for political reasons." "We are ready to continue to implement our contracts - including long-term agreements, some of which last until 2040-2035. Refusal to accept goods under these contracts is a unilateral decision that has no basis in the existing legal and regulatory framework."