Zakharova responded to Macron with a quote from a Soviet film after he acknowledged the importance of Russian gas for Europe

The official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Maria Zakharova responded to the words of French President Emmanuel Macron, who recognized the importance of Russian gas for the economies of European countries. She commented on his statement with a phrase from the Soviet comedy by Elem Klimov “Welcome, or No Trespassing.”

The French leader previously said that available gas from Russia fueled Central Europe, which was the production core and pulled the rest of the economy, and the EU itself refused its supplies.

The dependence of European industry on fossil fuels has once again been confirmed due to a new round of the energy crisis caused by the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.

Energy crisis in Europe

The European Commission (EC) has called on EU countries to sharply reduce electricity and gas consumption due to high energy prices. As European Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said, the demand restriction should last “as long as necessary,” but did not give an approximate duration of its validity. At the same time, gas reserves in Europe are at a “historic minimum.”

Prior to this, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, Kirill Dmitriev, emphasized that Europe was facing the worst energy crisis in its history. According to him, energy restrictions (against Russian energy resources) in EU countries are “finally coming.”

American leader Donald Trump also spoke about the situation in the European Union, saying that the crisis is “eating it alive.” He did not provide details of what specific challenges he was talking about.

The EC is looking for ways out of the fuel crisis and is trying to solve the issues of rising prices and energy shortages. In Europe, they even thought about relaxing fuel quality standards due to supply disruptions. Emmanuel Macron previously proposed delaying the introduction of new EU rules on imports of fossil energy resources in order to strengthen production capacity in Europe and increase supply in the domestic market.

Macron's ratings fall

The economic crisis in the EU countries is affecting politics; the authorities of many European countries are faced with growing discontent among the population due to increased fuel prices. In France, the president's ratings have collapsed, reaching a record low. Only 18 percent of citizens support him.

State Duma deputy Alexander Asafov believes that Macron’s recognition of the importance of Russian gas for the European Union is a pragmatic step to attract the sympathy of voters. However, according to the parliamentarian, this will not save the political career of the French leader, and will not encourage the EU to return to purchasing Russian energy resources.

How Ukraine influences the crisis in Europe

Emmanuel Macron admitted that attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) on Russian oil refineries are exacerbating the problem with fuel prices in Europe. At the same time, Paris continues to actively support the conflict, despite the crisis in its own country.

Thus, the French President, after negotiations with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, promised to supply Kyiv with additional radars and interceptor missiles. First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Relations Alexey Chepa, commenting on this news, said that in this way Ukraine’s Western allies are only “prolonging the agony.”