The European Commission deprives EU states of sovereignty to choose energy suppliers, Russia's Minister of Energy Alexander Novak said in the framework of the Expo 2017 Ministerial Conference in Astana, TASS reported.

"We see with regret the desire to interfere with the agreements between commercial companies and to decide future of key infrastructure projects without clear criteria," he said referring to gas projects.

The minister called a "dangerous preoccupation" the unilateral sanctions against energy companies - "financial, sectoral, which since recently are applied to suppliers of energy resources."