The resumption of natural gas deliveries via Nord Stream 1 is no reason to mark the end of the program, says Michael Hüther, director of the Institute for German Economics (IW). Experts see the uncertainty as a strategy of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
Michael Hüther, director of the Institute for German Economics (IW), cautions against jumping to conclusions after Russia started delivering natural gas again through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline this week. Resuming deliveries after the end of scheduled maintenance work is not a reason to give the green light, he said.
“Russia is now delivering again via Nord Stream, but we cannot rely on the gas flowing in the winter,” the economist and historian told Welt am Sonntag. “Putin can be trusted to first turn the gas back on to give us a false sense of security, only to turn it off again at the start of winter when it’s cold and Europe needs the gas.”
The worst thing for the economy and the mood of the population, he said, is the sharp fluctuations and a situation where one cannot rely on supplies. “And that’s exactly what Putin wants,” Hüther said.
The permanent state of alert and the threat of a gas supply freeze that has been hanging in the air for weeks has also played psychologically into Putin’s hands, said Mazda Adli, one of Europe’s best-known stress researchers.
“Few things stress us out more than when the future seems unpredictable and uncontrollable,” the head doctor at Berlin’s Fliedner Clinic told Welt am Sonntag. “But that’s exactly what Putin is achieving with his back-and-forth.”
Following the end of scheduled maintenance work on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, gas once again leaked through the pipeline on Thursday. However, the volume of gas delivered remained well below the pipeline’s potential capacity, although the German government said there were no technical reasons for the reduced delivery volume. In this context, Federal Economy Minister Hambeck accused Russia of “blackmailing” Germany and Europe.
Source: Capital
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