Kremlin Reacts to Trump’s Urging of EU to Cut Russian Energy Imports
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said that U.S. President Donald Trump is advocating for European nations to stop purchasing Russian oil and gas as a way to promote American energy interests. According to Peskov, Trump's approach highlights that he is, above all, “a businessman.”
Peskov’s remarks came in response to Trump’s renewed calls for NATO allies in Europe to halt imports of Russian energy, a demand he reiterated during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. Trump also warned that he was “fully prepared to impose a very strong round of powerful tariffs” on countries that continue trading with Russia, unless Moscow agrees to a deal to end the conflict in Ukraine.
“Trump has never concealed his goal of securing the U.S.'s economic interests,” Peskov told Russian media outlet RBK on Wednesday. “The easiest way is to force the entire world to pay more for American oil and LNG.”
Quoting a famous Russian satirist, Peskov added, “He is a businessman, who wants Europeans to buy small crayfish for five rubles instead of large ones for three. It’s simply about economic viability.”
Peskov noted that Trump has “already largely succeeded” in pushing the EU toward U.S. energy sources. However, he cautioned that the shift has placed strain on national budgets and on European taxpayers. He emphasized that Russia has not been significantly impacted by the reduction in European purchases, having rerouted its energy exports to countries like China and India.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the EU has drastically cut its reliance on Russian energy and plans to phase out Russian fossil fuels entirely by 2027. However, certain member states, including Hungary and Slovakia, continue to depend heavily on Russian imports. On Tuesday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto reaffirmed that Hungary cannot change energy suppliers due to existing contracts and infrastructure limitations.
