Germany has rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's offer to renew energy supplies directed at Europe using the intact Nord Stream 2 pipeline over tensions in Ukraine.
The Russian strongman said that the decision was in the hands of the European Union, saying that if they wanted to, the taps could be turned on and that would be that. However, Germany publicly refused to accept Russian gas via the pipeline which has become a flashpoint in the Ukraine crisis.
Germany Rejects Putin's Offer
German government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann was asked if Berlin would rule out the use of Nord Stream 2, answering with a simple, "Yes." She told reporters that independently of the potential sabotage of the two pipelines, she argued that Russia was no longer a reliable energy supplier.
After both links of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline and one of the two links of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline were ruptured onSept. 26, massive amounts of gas were released into the Baltic Sea. Prior to the incident, Russia had already put the brakes on deliveries through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in early September, as per DW News.
On the other hand, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was never operational because Germany halted its approval after Russia moved to invade Ukraine. Putin noted that it was possible to repair the pipelines but argued that Moscow and Europe should decide their fate.
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia prompted European buyers to begin weaning themselves off Russian oil and gas and begin looking for alternative sources. At the same forum as Putin, the head of the Russian energy company Gazprom, Alexei Miller, said that repairs to the pipelines would take at least a year.
According to Fox News, Putin's offer to the EU comes amid Russia's limiting of exports of oil and gas in response to heavy sanctions from NATO countries. Hoffman noted that there was no reason to believe that the unreliability of Russia as a supplier would change.
Oil and Gas Supply
On Wednesday, Putin said that the act of sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines is considered an act of international terrorism. He argued that it was aimed at undermining the energy security of the entire continent by blocking supplies of cheap energy. Putin added that those who wanted to demolish ties between Russia and the EU are responsible for the incident.
At the time of the alleged sabotage last month, neither of the two pipelines was operating. Officials reported four explosions rocking the pipes located across the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Each pipeline was struck twice as two explosions were in Swedish waters and two others in Danish waters.
After Russia opted to cut off the transport of natural gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, it now only transports gas to Europe through land pipelines that lie across Ukraine. The situation comes as Germany, Sweden, NATO, and other countries have opened up investigations into the sabotage of the pipelines in order to determine what actually happened, but they have not yet concluded, Yahoo News reported.
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