Russian President Wladimir Putin said if Europe wants more gas it should lift sanctions north stream 2 Pipeline.
What happened: When speaking to the media at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization At the summit in Uzbekistan on Friday, Putin said Russia had nothing to do with Europe’s energy crisis. He blamed the EU for its “green agenda” that caused the energy crisis and said the Kremlin will honor its energy commitments.
“The bottom line is if you have the urge, if it’s that hard for you, just lift the sanctions on Nord Stream 2, that’s 55 billion cubic meters of gas a year, just push the button and it’ll all go.” he told Reuters reported.
Nord Stream 2 was built a year ago and lies at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, almost parallel to Nord Stream 1. However, days before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Germany decided not to proceed with the project.
After the invasion, Russian supplies fell, leading to rising gas prices in Europe. Now, the escalating standoff between the West and Russia over its invasion of Ukraine is expected to push skyrocketing European gas prices even higher.
Brussels has often accused the Kremlin of arming energy supplies in retaliation for Western sanctions. At the same time, Putin’s government blames these sanctions for problems with the gas supply.
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Photo: Courtesy of ΝΕΑ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ on flickr
