Europeans to pay for anti-Russian sanctions - Volodin

MOSCOW. March 9 (Interfax) - The European sanctions on Russia will impose costs on businesses and ordinary citizens of European Union countries and will be beneficial to the United States, Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said.

"Obviously, promoting sanctions against Russian energy, Washington is seeking to occupy the European market. The share of American oil shipped to Europe is 8% and the share of gas is 6%. Growth in prices for energy is also part of this plan. All the costs will be paid in the future by EU countries, which would have to buy fossil fuel from the U.S. at a much higher price. All of this will fall on the shoulders of European companies and citizens," Volodin wrote on his Telegram channel on Tuesday.

Russia is currently a major exporter of oil and gas to the EU, the respective shares being 45% and 27%, while the U.S. is prompting Europe to stop importing Russian energy, which is disadvantageous to Europe itself, Volodin said.

Apart from that, by forcing international companies to join sanctions on Russia, the U.S. and EU authorities are dealing a blow to businesses, Volodin said. Having left the Russian market, it would not be easy to return, as is evident from the record of 2014, he said.

"It's extremely important today for the government and the State Duma to find solutions to preserve our people's jobs in the market segments vacated by foreign companies. And there could be very different approaches to this," he said.

Andrei Turchak, secretary of the General Council of the United Russia party, proposed earlier that the manufacturing assets of foreign companies that have decided to leave Russia amid the special operation being conducted by the Russian Armed Forces be nationalized.