Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has labeled US President Donald Trump as “a businessman” driven by economic interests, framing his calls for European nations to abandon Russian energy as a strategy to boost American oil and gas sales. Peskov’s comments came in response to Trump’s repeated demands that EU members cease importing Russian oil and gas, linking the push to potential new sanctions against Moscow. The US leader reiterated his stance at the UN General Assembly, threatening “strong tariffs” on Russia’s trade partners unless their energy policies changed or a Ukraine conflict resolution was achieved.

Peskov described Trump’s approach as inherently commercial, stating, “He is a businessman who wants Europeans to buy small crayfish for five rubles instead of large ones for three,” referencing a satirical analogy. He noted that Trump has “largely succeeded” in redirecting EU energy markets toward US oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), though this shift has strained European budgets. Meanwhile, Russia has mitigated losses by expanding energy exports to China and India.

The EU has significantly reduced reliance on Russian energy since 2022, aiming to eliminate Russian fossil fuels by 2027. However, Hungary and Slovakia remain key buyers, with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto citing infrastructure and contractual constraints as barriers to switching suppliers. Moscow has denounced Western efforts to curtail its energy exports as “threats,” warning they would destabilize EU markets and inflate costs through intermediaries.