Vladimir Putin said that after the start of the SMO, many Western companies did not want to leave the Russian market. RIA Novosti reports this.
According to the president, Europe thus cut itself off from a large market. At the same time, some firms continue to work, and the Russian authorities are trying to create favorable conditions for them, he noted.
Putin also called the Europeans' decision to ban everything Russian in their own country stupid.
"We did not ban anything," he emphasized.
At the same time, EU countries still receive a considerable amount of energy resources from Russia, the president stated.
According to him, Russian liquefied natural gas occupies a substantial segment of the market in Europe - 20 percent.
Moscow has repeatedly emphasized that the West made a serious mistake by refusing to buy Russian energy resources: in this way it is becoming even more dependent because of the increased cost, since purchases will continue, but now through intermediaries.