Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the West for the decline in the supply of Russian natural gas to customers in Europe and warned the reduction would continue and impact economies.
Putin's statement on Tuesday increased pressure on the European Union, which worries that Russia may shut off gas to Europe in the winter to cause economic and political turmoil. As per a report from Al Jazeera, the EU will present emergency measures for reducing gas usage on Wednesday, warning nations that if they do not make significant cuts immediately, they will run out of fuel in the winter if Russia suspends exports.
Turbine Problems
Speaking to Russian journalists in Tehran, where he was attending meetings with the leaders of Iran and Turkey, Putin said the amount of gas pumped through the Nord Stream pipeline to Germany will fall further from 60 million to about 30 million cubic meters a day, or about one-fifth of its capacity, if a turbine is not promptly replaced.
Vladimir Putin claimed that one gas pumping unit was out of order due to the "crumbling" of the inside lining. He also mentioned that there were five gas pumping units, operated by Siemens Energy at Nord Stream 1.
The German government criticized Russia Wednesday for reducing gas deliveries by using the lack of a turbine as an "excuse."
When asked about reduced gas flows in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, a German economy ministry spokeswoman disclosed that they have obtained information that "this is an excuse by the Russian side."
German media reported that the repaired turbine is presently on its way to Russia as routine maintenance work on the major pipeline is scheduled to be completed on Thursday.
The spokeswoman stated: "We are doing everything we can to eliminate this excuse from the Russian side." She added that the turbine in question was not supposed to be installed until September.
Putin Slams West for 'Crazy Ideas'
Vladimir Putin also warned that the global oil market would destabilize and prices would skyrocket if the West pushed its plan to cap the price of Russian oil as part of its sanctions over Moscow's attack on Ukraine.
"We are hearing some crazy ideas about restricting the volumes of Russian oil and capping the Russian oil price. The result will be the same - a rise in prices. Prices will skyrocket," The Russian head of state said.
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 warm homes, per ABC News.
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline, meanwhile, had a 60% reduction in gas delivery to Germany last month due to mechanical issues after a turbine that Siemens had shipped to Canada for maintenance but was unable to return due to sanctions. Germany and Canada agreed to return the turbine, but Putin claimed on Tuesday that Gazprom has yet to receive the necessary paperwork.
According to the Russian president, if the turbine sent to Canada would not be returned by the end of July as scheduled, the supply of gas would further dwindle. Gazprom will also be shutting down another turbine for maintenance at that time.
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, as reported by AP News.
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