Ukraine war: Putin says Russia could increase gas supplies to Europe, ‘but ball is in EU’s court’
- Russian leader also said Moscow could increase the capacity of its gas exports to Türkiye and eventually turn into a hub for gas supplies to Europe
- Putin again blamed the US for blasts that hit the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, causing a massive gas leak and taking them out of service
The US has previously rejected similar allegations by Putin. Several European governments said the undersea explosions that ripped through both Nord Stream pipelines were likely caused by sabotage but stopped short of assigning blame.
The Russian leader has repeatedly taunted the West by raising the prospect of sending gas through Nord Stream 2, a political non-starter for the German government and others.
Reaffirming a claim that he made last week, Putin said that the attack on the pipelines was launched by those who wanted to weaken Europe by halting the flow of cheap gas from Russia.
“The act of sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 is an act of international terrorism aimed at undermining energy security of the entire continent by blocking supplies of cheap energy,” he said, alleging that the US wants to force Europe to switch to importing more expensive liquefied natural gas.
“Those who want to rupture ties between Russia and the EU are behind the acts of sabotage on the Nord Stream,” he said.
02:17
‘Sabotage’ behind gas leaks in Russia’s Nord Stream pipelines, say EU, Nato officials
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline has never brought natural gas to Europe because Germany prevented the flows from ever starting just before Russia launched military action in Ukraine on February 24.
Before the explosions, Russia had cut off the parallel Nord Stream 1 pipeline at the centre of an energy stand-off with Europe. Russia has blamed technical problems for the stoppage, but European leaders call it an attempt to divide them over their support for Ukraine.
Plunging Russian gas supplies have caused prices to soar, driving inflation, pressuring governments to help ease the pain of sky-high energy bills for households and businesses and raising fears of rationing and recession.
Putin said that one of the two links of the Nord Stream 2 has remained pressurised and appears to be ready for service, adding that its capacity stands at 27 billion cubic meters a year. He noted that if checks prove that the pipeline is safe to operate, Russia stands ready to use it to pump gas to Europe.
The Russian leader also said that Russia could increase the capacity of its gas exports to Türkiye and eventually turn into a hub for gas supplies to Europe.
Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez, who was attending the energy forum said that the proposal to house a European gas hub in Türkiye should be discussed.
Gazprom head Alexei Miller also suggested creating such a facility during the conference.
Putin again scoffed at Western plans to cap prices for Russian energy exports, saying that “Russia won’t act against common sense and pay the other’s welfare.”
“We won’t supply energy to the countries that would cap the prices,” he said. “I would like to warn those, who instead of business partnership and market mechanisms try to use con tricks and blunt blackmail, that we won’t do anything to our own detriment.”
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse, Reuters
