Moscow, 18 October (H.S.): European countries have attempted to diversify their sources of gas imports but have ended up becoming dependent on the United States for supplies, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak has said.

Speaking to the Solovyov Live broadcaster in an interview on the sidelines of the Russian Energy Week forum, Novak said Europe’s gas supply volumes had declined while the cost of supplies had increased fourfold. He claimed that European countries now relied primarily on liquefied natural gas (LNG) imported from a single supplier, the United States.

Novak said gas prices in Europe had climbed to $1,000 per 1,000 cubic metres, compared with a range of $200 to $250 per 1,000 cubic metres a decade ago and before the COVID-19 pandemic.

He added that European consumers were bearing the brunt of the higher energy costs.

The Russian Energy Week forum was held in Moscow from October 14 to 16. RIA Novosti served as the forum’s information partner.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar