Russia Argues Europe Needs Its Energy as Sanctions Reroute Trade

Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund and a frequent envoy to Western capitals, said Europe needs Russia to survive, according to TASS. He argued that the energy crisis is pushing the European Union to be more realistic and to begin correcting what he called past mistakes. The framing is Russian and self-interested, and European officials reject the premise that they must restore energy ties with Moscow.

The Kremlin kept up its confrontational position on other matters. RIA Novosti reported that spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's warning about a crossed red line, rejecting the characterization. These exchanges illustrate the continued breakdown in communication between Moscow and Brussels.

Apart from the rhetoric, the practical workings of sanctions-era trade are visible. TASS reported that Armenia's deputy prime minister, Mher Grigoryan, expressed hope that problems with importing goods into Russia would soon be resolved and described the difficulties as technical. Armenia is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, the regional bloc Russia is relying on to shield its commerce from Western restrictions.

The desk tracks this rerouting of Russian trade as a forming trend. Problems even within friendly blocs show that building sanctions-resistant supply lines is slow and imperfect, but the trend is toward regional arrangements that exclude the dollar and Western intermediaries.