THE Russia will start supplying again with natural gas Germany through the pipeline Nord Stream 1 as soon as the damage to his turbine is repaired, said today Vladimir Putin and rejected Western claims that Moscow is using natural gas as a weapon.
Speaking as part of his speech at the Eastern Economic Forum being held in Vladivostok, the Russian president said that Germany and Western sanctions are responsible for the Nord Stream 1 pipeline not being operational and that Ukraine and Poland decided unilaterally to shut down other pipelines carrying natural gas to Europe.
Europe faces a threatened energy crisis and a spike in energy bills after Gazprom completely suspended gas supplies through Nord Stream 1 after what it claimed was an oil leak in its turbine during maintenance work.
“Nord Steam 1 is practically closed now,” Putin said, calling on Germany to return a turbine for the pipeline’s Portovaya compressor station, which would allow Russia to start pumping gas again.
“There’s an oil spill there—it’s a potentially explosive situation, a fire hazard. The turbine cannot operate. Give us a turbine and we’ll open Nord Stream 1 tomorrow. But they don’t give us anything” Putin said.
Russia will stop pumping natural gas and oil if a ceiling is imposed on the prices of Russian energy imgshe noted.
The Russian president, according to APE-MPE, criticized Europe’s appeals for the eputting a ceiling on the price of Russian natural gas calling her “stupid” and said that Russia will withdraw from its supply contracts if the West imposes a price ceiling on Russian exports.
Moscow will have no problem selling its vast energy reimgs around the world despite Western sanctions, the Russian president said, arguing that imposing a cap would lead to price increases and that global demand for Russian energy is high.
He also noted that Russia has agreed on all the basic parameters for the sale of natural gas to China through Mongolia.
In fact, regarding the country’s economy, Putin said the country’s budget will show a surplus this year as the Russian economy is on a path of slight contraction for this year.
The budget surplus will reach $24.5 billion in 2022, while GDP will decline by “about 2 percent or a little more,” Putin concluded.
Source: News Beast
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