Russia, which is holding presidency in the G8 group of industrialized nations, has set the goal of fighting "energy poverty" in the world because about two billion people have no access to electricity and modern types of energy, Khristenko told Parade Magazine published by The Washington Post Saturday.
Against the backdrop of accusations that Moscow uses its vast resources to blackmail other countries - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney launched a vociferous attack on alleged intimidation in May - Khristenko said Russia had agreed with the West's calls to stop subsidizing the energy prices of its neighbors.
But now this fair approach has been labeled as a political step, Khristenko said.
The minister said Russia-U.S. cooperation could be more productive because the U.S. could cover 25% of its natural gas needs through Russian deliveries by 2020.
Khristenko also said Russia and the U.S. could supply nuclear reactor fuel to third countries and take spent fuel back to prevent its use for the production of nuclear weapons.