Filenews 13 November 2021
Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that NATO's unplanned Black Sea exercises pose a serious challenge to Moscow and that Russia has nothing to do with the crisis on the border of Belarus, its close ally, with the European Union.
In comments published on the Kremlin's website, Putin said he hoped Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko and German Chancellor Angela Merkel would talk directly about the crisis and that migrants mainly want to go to Germany.
At the same time, he warned Lukashenko that a disruption of the flow of natural gas to Europe would cause damage to Moscow's relations with Belarus and the EU.
A day after Alexander Lukashenko fireworked that his country might cut off the flow of Russian gas to Europe, the Kremlin brought the Belarusian president back to order, stressing that he had not consulted Russia before launching his threats.
"It is a statement by the president of Belarus. I would like to remind you of President Putin's statement that Russia always fulfils its obligations ... Its credibility as a supplier and partner is not being questioned," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed.
