OREANDA-NEWS Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, who supervises the fuel and energy sector, predicted that European countries will be dependent on Russian gas for at least the next five years. According to him, the share of oil supplies to European Union countries currently reaches 30 percent, while gas supplies reach 40 percent.

"Europe tried to reduce its dependence on Russian gas with the help of coal, the price of which has also increased. The rapid return to coal-fired generation is taking place against the background of statements of the European Union countries about decarbonization of the economy and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050," the Deputy Prime Minister said.

According to him, European politicians are now forced to look for alternatives to Russian energy sources "as a result of the turbulence created by the Europeans themselves on the energy market."

In early March, the U.S. imposed a ban on oil imports from Russia. Similar calls were made in the EU, but governments and local energy companies acknowledged that it was impossible to completely abandon Russian energy sources in the foreseeable future. As part of the fifth package of sanctions, it was announced that Russian coal imports would not be allowed from August of this year.