Kremlin says cooperation with Russia 'beneficial' for Europe

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that economic cooperation with Russia is beneficial for Europe, adding that Moscow has an interest in establishing good relations with those countries that are ready to reciprocate.

Commenting at a news conference in Moscow on media reports claiming Europe increased its purchase of Russian liquefied natural gas and the Czech Republic requested to exclude Russian steel from sanctions, Peskov said this happens because Russian goods are cheaper.

"Hypothetically speaking, Europe can do without Russia, but then Europe loses its competitiveness because then it has to buy the same goods, be it energy resources or something else, in other places, but at exorbitant prices, which leads to the pre-bankruptcy state of European industry, has very serious consequences," he said.

The spokesman pointed out that sanctions have proved ineffective because, despite their "heavy load," the Russian economy began to grow.

When asked about the future of Russia's membership in international organizations with Western participation, Peskov said the West's unpredictability makes it impossible to foresee the prospects for establishing cooperation in different formats.

"We maintain our interest in establishing good relations with everyone, and we do it with those countries that are ready to reciprocate," he noted.

Amid recent tensions in the Armenian-Russian relations, Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin does not plan to have a phone talk with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

However, Pashinyan is invited to an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States slated for the end of December in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg, he said.

- ‘Ukraine blames Russia for everything’

Responding to Kyiv's claim that Moscow was involved in the poisoning of the wife of Ukraine's military intelligence chief, Peskov said: "Ukraine blames Russia for everything."

Regarding Finland’s decision to strengthen border security with Russia, Peskov described it as "an absolutely unprovoked, unjustified concentration of armed units on the Russian border."

"No one and nothing threatens Finland, and in this case, of course, this is an absolutely excessive measure to ensure the security of the border, because there is no threat there and in reality, there is no tension," he stressed.

He, however, warned that tensions could arise as a result of the concentration of military forces on the border, saying "Finns should realize that this will pose a threat to us."

On Nov. 29 Russia received a notification from Finland about the decision to close the last working border checkpoint from Nov. 30. At the same time, according to some media reports, Poland plans to send a group of military personnel to Finland to help guard the border.