Bloomberg learned of Moscow's plans to 'continue pressure' on Europe on gas

According to Bloomberg sources, Russiais using supply disruptions to encourage European countries to “rethink painful sanctions.” The Kremlin has repeatedly stressed

Russia is likely to keep gas supplies to the European Union at a minimum, increasing pressure on it due to sanctions, sources told Bloomberg.

As the agency writes, officially the Russian authorities called the reasons for the reduction in gas pumping to Europe the fact that Gazprom did not receive a turbine from repair in Canada, as well as the documents necessary for the import of the unit. However, in reality, Moscow is using supply disruptions to encourage European countries to “reconsider painful sanctions” and support for Ukraine, Bloomberg sources say.

They expect the Kremlin and Gazprom to "continue to find reasons" to cut supplies, preventing European consumers from buying more gas for the winter.

At the same time, one of the agency's sources noted that the technical problems that Moscow announced did exist. However, Gazprom could still supply more gas via Nord Stream 1 by postponing scheduled turbine maintenance, he said. But this would already create additional risks for the operation of the pipeline, and given the tough position of Europe regarding the events in Ukraine, Russia sees no reason to take such a step, the agency's interlocutor explained.

RBC turned to Gazprom for comment.

Peskov announced Gazprom's statement on Nord Stream 1 Politics

Gazprom reduced supplies via Nord Stream 1 in mid-June, explaining the decision by not receiving a Siemens turbine from Canada. The country imposed sanctions against Russia, but later, after a request from Berlin, agreed to transfer the unit to Moscow. However, then, as Gazprom reported, there were problems with the documents on the turbines. According to the company, the papers received from Canada do not remove sanctions risks and only “raise additional questions.”

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In addition, the day before, on July 25, Gazprom stopped another Siemens gas turbine engine, due to which the daily volume of gas pumped from July 27 will be 33 million cubic meters. m (20% of the design capacity of the gas pipeline).

In the European Union, Germany and Siemens believe that Russia has reduced supplies not for technical, but for political reasons. The Kremlin denied these accusations more than once. According to the press secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov, the situation is "critically" complicated by the sanctions against Russia. “If there weren’t these restrictions, <...> all repair work, and warranty, and repair, and service work, would be carried out in the usual, routine, operational manner, without leading to the situations that we see now,” he said.

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