Berlin keeps blaming the crisis on Russia, with the US trying to take advantage of the situation
Germany has been struggling to meet its energy needs for around a year as it seeks to reduce what it calls a dependence on Russian energy imports. Berlin’s officials still blame the troubles their nation faces on Moscow and its alleged “energy war” against the West.
On Friday, an energy transition minister of the German northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, Tobias Goldschmidt, accused Moscow of “starting an energy war” and “reducing gas supplies.” Federal Economy Minister Robert Habeck, who repeatedly stated that energy “independence” from Russia was worth all the troubles, called massive energy imports from the country a “big mistake” at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this week.
Why did Russia start reducing gas supplies to Germany?
return a turbine for gas-pumping units at a Nord Stream 1 compressor station in time. Gazprom then said it had to further reduce gas supply to 20% of the total capacity over the summer as four out of five turbines at the station required maintenance. Siemens could not provide the turbine due to the expansive sanctions regime the US and the EU introduced against Russia, Gazprom added.
“lying” but still admitted that only one out of five turbines needed for the gas flow was operational in August 2022.
What happened to Nord Stream pipeline?
Sweden, Denmark and Germany launched a probe into the incident but refused to share its results with Russia. Gazprom investigators were only allowed to inspect the blast site once in late October 2022. Moscow called the incident an “act of terrorism” and pointed the finger at Washington.
admitted there was “no evidence” implicating Moscow in this case. No official investigation results were presented and no suspects officially named.
Fate of Nord Stream 2
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US actively working to delay certification of Nord Stream 2 – Nuland
The project also faced tremendous pressure from the US from the very onset. Washington declared it a threat to Europe’s security and imposed sanctions on companies involved in its construction.
Nord Stream 2 also faced vehement opposition from Ukraine and Poland, which both serve as transit countries for Russia’s overland gas network. Kiev and Warsaw feared losing leverage with the emergence of an alternative transit route.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who initially backed the project, indefinitely halted its certification after Russia recognized Ukraine's Donbass republics as independent in February 2022.
What does Russia do now?
Moscow still considers Europe to be a viable market for Russia, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak said in December 2022. The nation is also ready to resume gas supplies to Europe through the remaining Yamal-Europe Pipeline. The pipeline is now used by Poland for reverse gas transit from Germany.
What happens in Germany?
German energy giants RWE and Uniper filed lawsuits against Gazprom, demanding compensation for the missing gas supplies. Gazprom said that it does not recognize the violation of contracts in Uniper’s case.
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US taking advantage of EU energy crisis – Paris
Some German officials, including Saxony’s prime minister, Michael Kretschmer, have called for Nord Stream pipelines to be restored. Germany must preserve the option to “buy something other than expensive liquefied natural gas after the war,” he argued last week.
“tremendous opportunity to become Europe’s largest LNG supplier.” French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire then blasted America for selling its LNG “at four times the price that it sets for its own industrialists.” “The conflict in Ukraine must not end in American economic domination and a weakening of the EU,” he warned at that time.
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