United States’ worldwide trust rating is sliding from the stable to negative level as the North American state makes contradictory statements about the natural gas pricing policies on the European continent, Sergei Ryabkov, a deputy Russian foreign minister, said on Friday.

“How can one, for instance, tootle about the ‘counter-market methods’ with regard to Russia, which offered Ukraine a new price on the natural gas supplies, and simultaneously urge EU member states to invest multibillion funds in the restructuring of the European gas system under a slogan of ‘Slash gas dependence on Russia,’” the official said, adding a question on whether the US has a clear understanding of market methods.