The only valuable thing on this planet is natural resources. Russia has the resources, Europe doesn’t. End of story.
Resources in the ground are worth exactly ZERO. The technology and people to extract and transform those resources are the most valuable thing on this planet. Both are most abundant in US and slightly less in the EU. Asia not far behind but Russia is not even on the map.
This year alone, the US has purchased twice the previous year of uranium from Russia.
Europe, as many other countries, depends on Russian resources.
That is the key word, clearly showing you where the value resides. Lots of countries (in Africa for one) with resources in the ground and starving.
They certainly can. But that's not what they do. Russian prices are competitive.
Unfortunately the Russian culture prohibits this. Rampant corruption, citzen apathy and an eternal desire to murder their neighbours.