The Kremlin said on Monday that cutting off Russian gas supplies to Germany via the Nord Stream pipeline is entirely the responsibility of the West. According to Moscow, the sanctions imposed on Russia due to the occupation of Ukraine prevent the proper maintenance of infrastructure in the energy sector.
“Pumping problems [de gás] It emerged as a result of the sanctions of western states. “There is no other reason for these problems,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov.
The declaration comes just days after the complete shutdown of Nord Stream, a key gas pipeline for supplies to European countries fearing an energy crisis this winter in the northern hemisphere that will begin in December. “It’s these sanctions that have led to the situation we’re seeing right now,” Peskov said at a phone press conference.
The Kremlin spokesman also “categorically” opposed the West’s “relentless attempts” to “change responsibility and blame” to cut gas supplies to Moscow. “The West, in this case the European Union, Canada and the United Kingdom, are responsible for getting the situation to this point,” he said.
As Dmitri Peskov explained, he once again justified the interruption of the Russian gas supply due to a “maintenance” operation affecting the last turbine ever working. “It works poorly. There are faults that cause the current to stop,” he evaluated.
Russian giant Gazprom said on Friday it discovered an “oil leak” in the turbine during a maintenance operation at a compressor station in Russia.
Moscow claims that after Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Western sanctions prevented the delivery of a Siemens turbine sent to Canada for repair. Germany, the country where the turbine is currently located, assures Russia that it is preventing the return of this key piece.
Recently, the interruption of gas flows between Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea has further fueled European fears of facing an unprecedented energy crisis.
Meeting to address the energy crisis
The supply of Russian gas to Europe is one of the agenda items of French President Emmanuel Macron’s meeting this Monday afternoon with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz via videoconference. Leaders will discuss ways out of the energy crisis and European solidarity to deal with it.
Analysts are talking about a new round of arm wrestling on energy. Since Wednesday (31) morning, Russia has once again interrupted the supply of natural gas to Europe, which is normally carried through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
Reflecting the energy crisis, European shares started the week lower as gas supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline began to decline. Frankfurt lost more than 2.5%, while the euro briefly fell below the $0.99 threshold.
(with information from AFP)
source: Noticias
