Russian Foreign Ministry official Nikolay Kobrinets, who heads the Department of European Cooperation, told Interfax on March 12 that Europeans would be the big losers if they insisted on a total break with Russia on the energy front. “Russia remains a reliable supplier [of energy resources]; a world-class guarantor of energy security,” he stated. “We value this reputation, but we are ready for a harsh standoff in the energy sector, if necessary.”
The EU “will definitely not benefit” from such confrontation because “we [Russia] have a greater margin of safety and stronger nerves,” the Foreign Ministry official insisted. Kobrinets reported that, according to the European Commission’s own data, the EU gets 45% of its gas, 25% of its oil, and 45% of its coal from Russia. “So Brussels has to understand its vulnerability,” he remarked pointedly.
