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Europe being disingenuous announcing ban on gas imports from Russia — senior Slovak MP

Slovak Parliament Deputy Speaker Tibor Gaspar accused European countries of hypocrisy for banning Russian gas imports while purchasing record volumes of LNG, as reported by TASS. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with RT India that Europe may be hit hardest by the Strait of Hormuz crisis and warned of heavy economic strain from switching to US LNG.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage May 13–14, 2026 Published Aug 15

Lead

A senior Slovak lawmaker has accused European countries of a contradictory stance on Russian energy, saying they announce bans on Russian gas imports while continuing to purchase record volumes of liquefied natural gas. The comments by Slovak Parliament Deputy Speaker Tibor Gaspar were made in an interview with TASS. Separately, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told RT India that Europe may be the most affected by the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, warning of mounting economic pressure on the continent.

Coverage comparison

TASS, the Russian state news agency, reported both sets of remarks in two separate articles. The first, published May 14, focuses on Gaspar's criticism of European energy policy. The second, published May 13, quotes Lavrov's assessment of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and its implications for Europe. Both articles present the statements directly, with the first adopting a relatively neutral tone and the second carrying a more critical framing of Western and US actions.

The two reports converge on a common theme: Europe's energy security remains fragile amid geopolitical tensions. However, they reflect different angles—one centered on European behavior and competitiveness, the other on the broader strategic consequences of the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz.

Key claims

Gaspar: European bans are self-contradictory

In his interview with TASS, Gaspar argued that European countries making loud calls to completely ban energy imports from Russia have recently purchased record volumes of liquefied natural gas. This, he said, makes such statements self-contradictory because "everyone understands that energy security and competitiveness are essential."

Describing the situation with energy supplies to Slovakia, Gaspar noted that gas currently flows to the country primarily through the TurkStream pipeline, as the main route through Ukraine has been suspended. "We would be happy if gas continued to flow to Europe through the already-built infrastructure via Ukraine," he said, adding that "we need to be realistic about the situation."

Gaspar also highlighted the significance of the situation around Iran for the supply of sufficient volumes of gas or oil. "The situation in the Strait of Hormuz is changing every day, and this is beginning to affect not only the global economy, but, of course, the European economy as well," he said.

Lavrov: Europe to bear the brunt of Strait of Hormuz crisis

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in an interview with RT India, stated that Europe will likely be impacted more than anyone else by the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. He argued that bans on Russian gas and oil imports would force Europe to switch to US liquefied natural gas, which is "dramatically more expensive." He claimed that European budgets would therefore come under even heavier strain, on top of the hundreds of billions of euros Europe is pouring into Ukraine for it to continue the "European-driven aggression against Russia."

Lavrov also contrasted Russia's approach with Western traditions, saying Russia "traditionally honors its commitments under any deal." He accused Western countries of being "quite fond of cancelling history and agreements," and of seeking excuses "to once again live at the expense of others." He described Europe as the "birthplace of colonialism" and claimed that the United States is now "fully demonstrating" such capabilities, "plunging Europe into a deep energy and food crisis."

The remarks reflect ongoing tensions between Russia and Western nations over energy policy and the war in Ukraine, with the Strait of Hormuz crisis adding a new layer of uncertainty to global energy markets.

How this outlet told it

TASS — English as of May 13, 2026, 7:16 AM UTC

Framing: Russian perspective on the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz — critical

Facts Included:

Europe may be hit hardest by the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated Europe will be impacted more than anyone else
Bans on Russian gas and oil imports may lead to increased costs for European budgets
Lavrov criticized Western traditions and the US for plunging Europe into an energy and food crisis

Read the source article →

TASS — English as of May 14, 2026, 9:31 AM UTC

Framing: European countries' hypocrisy on Russian gas imports — neutral

Facts Included:

European countries' self-contradictory statements on banning Russian gas imports
Slovak Parliament Deputy Speaker Tibor Gaspar's comments on energy security and competitiveness
Gaspar's statement on the situation with energy supplies to Slovakia
The importance of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz for global and European economies

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimEurope may be hit hardest by the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated this in an interview with RT India.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of May 13, 2026, 7:16 AM UTC
ClaimBans on Russian gas and oil imports may lead to increased costs for European budgets.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of May 13, 2026, 7:16 AM UTC
ClaimRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized Western traditions and the US for plunging Europe into an energy and food crisis.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of May 13, 2026, 7:16 AM UTC
ClaimEuropean countries have made self-contradictory statements on banning Russian gas imports, as they continue to purchase it despite announcing bans.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of May 14, 2026, 9:31 AM UTC
ClaimSlovak Parliament Deputy Speaker Tibor Gaspar commented on the importance of energy security and competitiveness, and the situation with energy supplies to Slovakia.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of May 14, 2026, 9:31 AM UTC
ClaimThe situation in the Strait of Hormuz is of great importance for the supply of sufficient volumes of gas or oil, affecting the global and European economies.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of May 14, 2026, 9:31 AM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 2 articles consulted: TASS — English 6 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-15