Europe is simply switching gas dependency from Russia to U.S.-RIA cites Kremlin

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Europe is simply switching from dependency on Russian gas to dependency on liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States, the RIA news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying on Sunday.

European Union countries held emergency negotiations on Saturday as they attempt to line up a deal to cap prices at a Dec. 13 meeting of their energy ministers, but states remain split over the plan.

Peskov called the European desire to shake off dependency on Russian gas “absurd” and “frenzied”.

“They have changed dependency on Russia to dependency on American liquefied natural gas,” RIA quoted Peskov as saying on state television, noting that the dependence was the same, just with “much less reciprocity”.

“And now, when the Europeans are losing billions of euros every day, Washington is already earning these billions of dollars,” Peskov said.

(Reporting by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Alex Richardson)