He said Russian President Vladimir PutinToday, Wednesday, gas prices will cause significant losses to Europe this year.
In his speech at the Energy Week forum, Putin added that prosperity in Europe was associated with cooperation with Russia, pointing out that setting a ceiling on gas prices would make Europe lose hundreds of billions.
He explained that it is not possible to refrain from cooperation with Russia, adding: “We want to cooperate with Europe commercially, but they are the ones who imposed the sanctions. What is happening in the energy markets now is the result of wrong policies for previous years.”
The Russian president said: “Developing countries will be affected by the rise in global gas prices, and European behavior is the reason for the rise in gas prices. We are ready to supply Europe with gas in the specified quantities according to contracts, but the fate of the two Nord Stream gas pipelines must be determined.”
He believes that the attack on the Nord Stream gas pipeline is a precedent and threatens energy infrastructure.
He stated that the United States is forcing European countries to buy energy at very high prices, referring to America’s attempts to control energy markets in Europe.
Concerns regarding the security of energy supplies escalated on Wednesday when a leak in Poland in the Druzhba pipeline, which carries oil from Russia, reduced flows to Germany.
Poland said the leak was likely caused by an accident, but it came as European Union countries sought to wean themselves off Russian energy in response to the invasion of Ukraine in February.
Also, the Nord Stream gas pipeline that serves Germany is currently suspended following a leakage accident last month. Russia and the West have accused each other of being responsible, and it is not yet clear who is behind it.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the leaks in Nord Stream’s two pipelines from Russia to Europe were an “act of international terrorism” with the aim of depriving people of low-cost energy.
Putin added that gas can still be supplied by a healthy part of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, but it is up to the European Union and whether it wants to get gas or not.
Germany halted operations of the Nord Stream 2 project following Moscow sent troops to Ukraine.
The impact of efforts to reduce dependence on Russian energy, along with sharp cuts in supplies from Russia, has been felt across the 27-nation European Union, where gas prices are nearly 90% higher compared to prices a year ago, in addition to concerns regarding rationalization measures and power outages. during the next winter.
European Union energy ministers meet in Prague on Wednesday to try to agree on new measures to tackle the crisis.
Most EU countries say they want to set a cap on the price of gas, but disagree on setting it. Some countries, including Germany, Europe’s largest gas market, remain opposed to the measure, saying it risks limiting supplies.
In neighboring Poland, the Druzhba pipeline operator Berne said a leak was discovered on Tuesday evening in a part of the oil pipeline 70 kilometers from the central Polish city of Blok.
The Druzhba pipeline, whose name means “friendship” in Russian, is one of the largest in the world, supplying many central European countries with Russian oil, including Germany, Poland, Belarus, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria.
“Here we can talk regarding unintended damage,” said Poland’s chief energy infrastructure official, Mateusz Berger.
BCK refinery in the eastern German town of Schwet said it was still receiving oil flows from the Druzhba pipeline, but at low capacity.
supply concerns
Across Europe, analysts have estimated gas supply shortfalls at regarding 15% of average winter demand, and said Germany needs to cut energy consumption by nearly a fifth, with worrying implications for Europe’s largest economy, whose industry depends on abundant and affordable energy supplies.
The energy crisis has indirectly affected all of Europe, as companies raised prices to offset additional costs, putting pressure on household budgets.
Governments are also trying to identify ways to finance emergency measures to protect customers and ease the inconvenience caused by rising prices.
The government of Portugal, a member of the European Union, said on Wednesday it plans to pump 3 billion euros ($2.9 billion) into electricity and natural gas networks to reduce prices for companies next year.
