Europe will not survive the winter- Corriere.it

«Russia is ready to supply further volumes of gas to Europe in the autumn-winter, the ball is in the field of the EU. Moscow is ready to supply gas through the Nord Stream 2 line ». This is said by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The subtext, or rather the blackmail, is clear: if Europe removes the sanctions, Russia is ready to reopen the taps. «We can transfer the lost transit volume along the Nord Stream gas pipelines, on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, to the Black Sea region. the largest gas hub for Europe in Turkey. Certainly, if our partners are interested in this, ”Putin added, according to reports from TASS. “Gas supplies via Nord Stream 2 can start immediately”, if the authorizations arrive, he said the Russian gas giant Gazprom. “There are no guarantees that Europe will survive this winter with current reserves in underground gas storage facilities,” added CEO Aleksej Borisovič Miller.

Putin: no gas for those who put the “price cap”

“I will say one thing: Russia will not act against common sense, paying out of its own pocket for the welfare of others. We will not supply energy to those states that impose a ceiling on energy prices. Towards those who prefer dirty tricks and shameless blackmail, and for decades we have been living in a paradigm of this type, in the political sphere, we will not act to our detriment “, reiterated the president, speaking at the Russian Energy Week forum, respect the hypothesis of introducing a “price cap” on gas at European level. Measures such as the price cap for Russian energy resources are a “rigged game,” he added.

The Berlin replica

After Putin’s statements on Nord Stream 2, Berlin’s reply was not long in coming. «Russia is no longer a reliable supplier. Even before the damage to the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, gas no longer flowed, ”said the spokeswoman for the German government, Christiane Hoffmann, thus dismissing Putin’s attempted blackmail. The spokesperson then recalled that there is no Russian gas embargo, answering questions at a press conference in Berlin.

Nord Stream 2: what to know

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline was completed on 6 September 2021, but never went into operation. After the Russian military attack on Ukraine in February, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the freezing of the authorization. This pipeline was designed to enhance gas supplies from Russia, doubling the route of the existing Nord Stream 1 which runs parallel to the new project. The “twin gas pipeline” was strongly supported by Germany, which carried out the works during the mandate of Angela Merkel despite the opposition of the United States and the doubts expressed by other EU countries, which feared the increase in Europe’s dependence on Moscow. . If it were to go into operation, Nord Stream 2 would allow an additional 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas to be transported to Germany per year.

Why Putin mentions the “twin pipeline”

Both Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 were heavily damaged by the September sabotage. But while the first pipeline risks being out of order indefinitely. According to some estimates, a Nord Stream 2 line, which would have remained intact, could be fully operational and would be able to transport 27.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year. Not surprisingly, when speaking of a possible resumption of supplies from Russia, Putin mentioned the second gas pipeline.