Envoy castigates questioning Russia’s reliability as energy supplier

VIENNA, September 5. /TASS/. It is absolutely inappropriate to question Russia’s reliability as a supplier of energy resources, Russian Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said on Monday.
“It is absolutely inappropriate to try to justify the relevant politically (not commercially) motivated decisions by questioning the reliability of Russia as a supplier,” he wrote on Twitter. He also stressed that Russia was not the one to undermine normal trade and economic relations, particularly in the sphere of energy.
The energy crisis in the EU exacerbated in early July when first interruptions in gas supplies from Russia to EU countries occurred due to problems with the maintenance of the Nord Stream turbines over sanctions. Following this, the European Commission urged EU countries to prepare for a complete shutdown of Russian gas deliveries and proposed that member states cut their gas usage by 15% from August 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023.