Ambassador Maslov warned Athens of consequences of Russia's gas refusal
Russian Ambassador to Greece Andrei Maslov said on Monday, December 30, that Athens should be ready to "splurge" if the country refuses Russian gas.
According to him, the Greek government has constantly publicly stated its intention to give up Russian gas, but he is not sure how feasible this is. Athens' attempts to replace Russian supplies with more expensive LNG from other countries have led to a sharp rise in fuel prices, resulting in huge gas and electricity bills for Greek citizens.
Maslov noted that in 2024, about 60% of Greece's gas was from Russia. The new terminal in Alexandroupolis did not change the situation much: Greece did not use it, and only Bulgaria bought LNG through it. The ambassador did not rule out that by 2027 Greece will stop buying gas from Russia.
"The question, however, is why and whether the Greek side will be ready to splurge so much for some political considerations. Politics is politics, but in some cases elementary common sense may prevail," RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 26 that the Russian side is ready to supply gas through Ukraine under a contract with any counterparty, but at the moment this is impossible amid a lawsuit from Kiev. At the same time, Putin noted that it would not be possible to conclude a new transit contract a few days before the New Year.
On August 27, the Ukrainian president said that the country would not extend the gas transit agreement with Russia, which expires at the end of 2024.
The day before, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fitzo asked European Union (EU) leaders to pay attention to Ukraine 's decision on gas from Russia. According to him, the EU's ignoring the decision of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose term of office expired on 20 May, to stop gas transit through Ukrainian territory will inevitably lead to serious conflicts.
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