Moscow Blasts 'Shameless Claims' by US That Russia Uses Gas Supplies as Weapon

A wave of anti-Russian reports previously emerged in the western media, attempting to blame Moscow for the recent surge in gas prices in Europe.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stated on Tuesday that his country refutes the "shameless" US accusations of price gouging amid an ongoing energy crisis in Europe.

"We have been and we remain the most reliable and safe supplier of natural resources. We invite all colleagues in Europe, including our neighbours, to accept this simple fact that we value energy security on the continent, we want to cooperate with them, and with the EU, to prevent [the] price spikes that we are witnessing", he said in an interview with the BBC.

European gas prices have spiked dramatically this season, at one moment reaching an all-time high, as European gas futures almost broke $2,000 per 1,000 cubic metres in October.

The prices remain high despite Russia having recently completed its Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and having submitted all the necessary documents for its certification.

In this April 9, 2010 file photo, a Russian construction worker speaks on a mobile phone in Portovaya Bay some 170 km (106 miles) northwest of St. Petersburg, Russia, during a ceremony marking the start of construction for the Nord Stream pipeline.

© AP Photo / Dmitry Lovetsky

The project was also repeatedly attacked by Washington and its allies among European countries that benefit from the transit of Russian gas (such as Poland and Ukraine), with the US claiming that the pipeline will be used by Moscow for political gain.

Both Russia and Germany repeatedly stressed that the project was not political, and accused the US of unfair competition. Washington, however, still slapped sanctions on the companies involved in Nord Stream 2's construction.