Putin Calls Russia Major Guarantor of Global Energy Security

NOVO-OGARYOVO (Sputnik) - With its vast energy reserves, Russia remains a key guarantor of energy security globally, Russian President Vladimir Putin told the Security Council on Thursday.

'Sizable exports to EU countries, the Asia Pacific … not only bring considerable revenues but also allow Russia to remain one of the main guarantors of global energy security', he said.

Putin stressed that Russia’s energy mix featured all main sources of energy, which is enough to satisfy the national energy demand.

The president urged the Security Council to better protect Russian companies abroad, including from 'direct political pressure on countries importing Russian hydrocarbons'.

'We need to ramp up support for Russian energy companies abroad because we all know about the recent attempts to use global energy cooperation as an instrument … to contain Russia', he said.

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Putin cited US bans on sales of advanced oil drilling technology to Russia. All risks and challenges faced by the industry will be included in Russia’s new energy strategy, currently in the pipeline at the council.

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