Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of starting an "open gas war" to terrorize Europe and have a deeper hold on the region's economy.
Zelensky made the remarks during his nightly video address on Monday, where he accused Moscow of using restrictions on gas supply to inflict what he called terror on Europe and urged the European Union to agree to tougher sanctions against Russia.
Russia's Open Gas War
The Ukrainian leader said that Russia was doing everything on purpose to make it as difficult as possible for Europeans to prepare for the winter season. He argued that the open gas war was a tool to take advantage of the situation in Europe.
The official said that the Russians do not care what will happen to the European people or how they will suffer from hunger due to the blocking of ports or from winter cold and poverty. The remarks come after Moscow dealt a new blow to European countries over their support of Ukraine on Monday by saying it would cut gas supplies through its single biggest gas link to Germany, as per Reuters.
The announcement said that Russia would reduce daily gas deliveries via the Nord Stream pipeline to 33 million cubic meters per day, which is only 20% of the pipeline's capacity, starting from Wednesday.
Moscow noted that it was halting the operation of one of the last two operating turbines of the pipeline due to the "technical condition of the engine." On the other hand, the German government said there was no technical justification for Gazprom's announcement.
According to NDTV, the announcement comes as Europe is still heavily dependent on Russian energy resources, and the West has accused Moscow of using energy as a weapon in retaliation for the sanctions adopted after Russia's invasion of Ukraine started.
Reducing Gas Deliveries
Russia's announcement to reduce gas flow also came after last week when it restored critical gas supplies to Europe through Germany via the Nord Stream pipeline after ten days of maintenance.
Moscow began reducing the amount of gas being shipped through the 760-mile undersea pipeline in mid-June, arguing that there was a missing turbine that was shipped to Canada for repairs. On the other hand, the German economy ministry said that based on its information, there was no reason that the pipeline had to reduce its gas deliveries.
Observers have said that the move was made due to Putin's intention to use Russia's energy exports as a tool to punish and divide European leaders by loosening or tightening the taps as it suits him and his war aims in Ukraine.
A senior fellow at Bruegel, Simone Tagliapietra, said that Gazprom's announcement to reduce gas deliveries should not be considered a surprise. They argued that Russia has been playing a strategic game.
On Tuesday, European Union energy ministers will meet in Brussels to discuss a proposal to get citizens and businesses of the 27-member bloc to save energy. However, divisions have emerged as some countries that do not rely heavily on Russian gas, such as Greece and Spain, have chafed the idea of needing to cut consumption to help Germany, the New York Times reported.
