"In this way Europe is condemning itself to significantly more expensive energy sources, which will inevitably have consequences for the European economy and lead to a decrease in competitiveness. This will only accelerate the process that has already been observed in recent years, which is the loss of the leading position of the European economy," Peskov said, answering a question about the Kremlin's reaction to the statement by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, that Europe will no longer depend on Russian gas, reports RIA News.

He noted that if Europe rejects gas from Russia, it will be dependent on energy sources that are more expensive, and sometimes significantly more expensive, than Russian gas.

The European Council announced today that an agreement was reached with the European Parliament on the gradual abolition of Russian gas imports until 2027, as part of efforts to end energy dependence on Russia.

The regulation represents a legally binding, phased ban on the import of both liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas from Russia, with a total ban starting in late 2026 for LNG and autumn 2027 for pipelines.

As stated in the announcement, this contributes to the general goal of achieving a resilient and independent EU energy market, while maintaining security of supply.

The interim agreement now needs to be approved by the Council and Parliament before its formal adoption.

The share of Russian gas in EU imports was 12 percent in October, significantly less than around 45 percent before the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022.