The Kremlin’s spokesperson hinted that gas pumping could continue if the EU relaxes sanctions against Russia. The EU sanctions are due to the fact that Russia occupied parts of Ukraine in 2014 and because of the major offensive that started this year.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claims that the sanctions imposed by the EU are the reason for the end of Russian gas supplies.
The EU has imposed sanctions on Russia since 2014, when Russia began occupying parts of Ukraine. In addition, the EU has imposed more sanctions against Russia after the country started its large-scale war of aggression against Ukraine in February.
– The problems with pumping gas arose because the Western countries, among them Germany and Britain, imposed sanctions against our country, Peskov stated at a press conference on Monday, according to the Reuters news agency.
The Russian energy giant Gazprom shut down Nord Stream 1, the gas pipeline that supplies gas from Russia to Germany, last week. According to Gazprom, the gas pipeline will remain closed until the turbine in the pipeline system is repaired.
According to Peskov, Western sanctions have made maintenance work on the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline impossible. According to Peskov, “there are no other reasons that would lead to delivery problems.” The company has not provided information on the repair schedule.
The EU considers Russia’s claims as excuses.
Peskov: Gas pumping can continue if sanctions are relaxed
The question of gas has been relevant for several months. For example, in the spring, Russia began to demand payment for gas deliveries in rubles, and stopped supplying gas to those countries that did not agree to this.
The EU accuses Russia of using energy as a weapon.
At Monday’s press conference, Peskov let it be understood that if the EU loosened sanctions, gas pumping could continue again, he says, among other things BBC (switch to another service).
Replacing Russian gas is not easy, because before the start of the Russian war of aggression, about a third of the gas delivered from Russia to Europe flowed to the continent via the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline.
Russia’s recent actions are reflected in the price of gas across Europe, and on Monday wholesale gas prices rose significantly in both continental Europe and the UK after the start of trading.