MOSCOW, March 4 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested on Wednesday that Russia could stop supplying gas to European markets now and move to more promising markets.
The European Commission will submit a legal proposal to permanently ban Russian oil imports on April 15, three days after Hungary’s parliamentary election, according to EU officials and a document seen by Reuters.
“And now other markets are opening up. And perhaps it would be more profitable for us to stop supplying the European market right now. To move into those markets that are opening up and establish ourselves there,” Putin told Russian state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin.
“But this is not a decision, it is, in this case, what is called thinking out loud. I will definitely instruct the government to work on this issue together with our companies.”
Putin reiterated that Russia has always been a reliable energy supplier and will continue to work in this manner with those partners who are themselves reliable, such as Slovakia and Hungary.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Sharon Singleton/Guy Faulconbridge )