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West Will Be Dependent on Russian Oil and Gas for Years to Come, Putin Brags

Russian gas and oil exports have rocketed in value in 2022 as market prices have soared.

Vladimir Putin has boasted that the West won’t be able to give up its dependency on Russian oil and gas for years, according to a report. “In terms of rejecting our energy resources—this is unlikely over the next few years,” the Russian despot said at a meeting with young entrepreneurs on Thursday, Interfax reports. The braggadocious comment comes as Russian gas and oil exports are forecast to jump to an eye-watering $285 billion in 2022, an increase of around 20 percent on last year’s haul. The massive spike in Russian energy income is predicted to take place despite widespread sanctions imposed by countries around the world following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February. The European Union, which has sanctioned Russia in many areas, has not sanctioned imports on Russian gas, on which it is still reliant. Germany has vowed to end imports of Russian gas by 2024, but now receives over a third of its natural gas from Russia.