The EC rejected the US initiative to return to the purchase of Russian energy resources

The European Commission (EC) has rejected the US initiative to restore purchases of Russian energy resources and is not going to reduce the level of pressure on the Russian Federation. This was announced by EC official representative Paula Pinho during a press conference on October 19.

"Our position remains unchanged. Ursula von der Leyen, the Chairman of the [EC], had previously explicitly stated that she would not lift a single restriction against Russia until the conflict was completely ended," she said in a video posted on the website of the EU audiovisual service.

At the same time, she recalled that the recent summit of the European Union (EU) indicated the disappointment of the countries of the association with Washington's decision to ease sanctions pressure on Russia and start buying Russian diesel. The EC continues to believe that the coordination of the United States and the EU in countering Russia is allegedly capable of forcing Moscow to negotiate on Kiev's terms.

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Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said a day earlier that the European Union's ban on the purchase of Russian gas was surprising. Novak added that the reserves of European gas storage facilities have decreased significantly. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, this figure is now 10% lower than the average reserves in previous years.

The New York Times newspaper noted on October 17 that the administration of US President Donald Trump considers the resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe as one of the elements of a plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. According to the newspaper, the American side offers European countries to significantly increase purchases of Russian gas.