ISTANBUL

Europe has simply switched from dependency on Russian gas to dependency on LNG from the US, the Kremlin said on Sunday.

“They have now changed their dependence on Russia for dependence on American liquefied natural gas. This is exactly the same dependence. Only there is much less reciprocity,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview aired with broadcaster Rossiya-1.

Claiming that the desire of the Europeans to "get rid of dependence on Russia” is "absurd” and “completely frenzied," Peskov said: "When Europeans lose billions of euros every day, these billions of dollars are already being earned in Washington."

Peskov noted that relations between Russia and the West have reached a stage of confrontation.

Russia supplied about 40% of Europe’s gas before its war on Ukraine in February. But it has cut flows in response to unprecedented Western sanctions, leading to skyrocketing energy prices.

The crisis has put US natural gas in high demand, with producers said to have boosted exports as European buyers seek alternatives to Russian gas.