The EU has taken extensive precautions in case the supplies of Russian gas to Europe will be interrupted, the President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen told journalists in Strasbourg, dpa reported.

According to her, to reduce the risk of disruptions to the raw materials, the European Commission has held talks in recent months with key exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG), such as the United States, Qatar and Egypt, to increase their LNG volumes.

In addition, consultations were held with key LNG importers, particularly Japan and South Korea, so that they provide the EU with raw materials from their own stocks. As the head of the European Commission pointed out, these efforts of Brussels resulted in the EU importing a record 10 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas in January.

As Deutsche Welle writes, the noticeable growth of gas prices in Europe began in the spring of 2021, when the average TTF spot price ranged from $250 to $300 per 1,000 cubic meters. In the last days of summer the day-ahead contract price crossed the $600 threshold, and in early October it exceeded $1,000. In December the prices rose twice, reaching a historical maximum of $2,190.

Europe has never had such high prices in the history of natural gas.

More than 40 percent of Europe's gas comes from Russia, which currently seems to have "no interest in increasing supplies, despite peak prices," Ursula von der Leyen noted in early February.