“Any extraction is an investment project that requires time to yield results and attract investments,” the official said in statements to Russia 1 television channel.

He said that such a reality requires a clear sales policy and long-term contracts with consumers who use this fuel.

He reported that Russia fulfilled all its long-term gas supply commitments to Europe in 2021. “In addition, we delivered much more to Germany, to Turkey, to other countries that chose their volumes,” he explained.

For Novak, the reason for the energy crisis was “the unwise policy of the European Union and the European Commission, which in recent years deliberately rejected long-term contracts to reduce dependence on Russia.”

He considered that such planning was wrong and that short-term energy policy became a headache for European politicians.

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