Russia ready if Europe stops buying our energy - lawmaker

Russia is ready for the possibility that Europe might stop buying Russian energy supplies, the TASS news agency quoted the speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament as saying on Tuesday.

Valentina Matviyenko added that if Europe were to refuse to buy Russian energy then Moscow could redirect supplies to Asian markets among others, TASS reported.

Russia has demanded that "unfriendly" countries pay for gas in roubles in the wake of Western economic sanctions over the Ukraine conflict. But G7 nations have refused the demand, and at a meeting of European Union leaders on Friday no common position emerged.