Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Tuesday that the decline in the flow of Russian natural gas to European consumers is entirely the fault of the West and issued a warning that it may continue.
Russia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Tuesday that the decline in the flow of Russian natural gas to European consumers is entirely the fault of the West and issued a warning that it may continue.
Putin’s remarks increased the pressure on the European Union, which worries that Russia may shut off gas to Europe in the winter to cause economic and political mayhem.
Putin told Russian reporters in Tehran, where he was present at the meetings between the presidents of Iran and Turkey, that if a turbine isn’t quickly replaced, the amount of gas pumped through the Nord Stream pipeline to Germany will decrease even more, from 60 million to 30 million cubic meters per day, or roughly one-fifth of its capacity.
The recently finished Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which has never been put into service, may be launched by Russia, he said, but he pointed out that it would only have half of its intended capacity because the other half has been used for domestic purposes.
As part of its sanctions over Ukraine, the West is planning to cap the price of Russian oil, but the Russian leader warned that this could disrupt the world oil market and drive up costs.
He stated, “We are hearing some ridiculous ideas like regulating Russian oil output and capping the Russian oil price. “The outcome will be the same: prices will increase. The cost will soar.
The EU approved sanctions on most Russian oil and coal to go into effect later this year after Russian troops entered Ukraine in February, but natural gas was left out because the 27-nation union depends on it to run companies, produce electricity, and heat homes.
However, the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany had a 60% reduction in gas delivery last month due to technical issues when a turbine that Siemens had shipped to Canada for maintenance but was unable to receive due to sanctions was unable to be returned. Germany and Canada agreed to return the turbine, but Putin claimed on Tuesday that Gazprom has yet to receive the necessary paperwork.
The Russian president stated that if the turbine that was transferred to Canada is not returned by the time when another turbine was scheduled to be shut down for repairs, the flow of gas will further dwindle.
He cited the closure of a branch of a transit pipeline by Ukraine, which carried Russian gas to the West through territory governed by separatists based in Moscow, as another justification for the decrease in supply.
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