Russian giant Gazprom does not consider it “reasonable” to resell gas from Germany to Poland amid rising prices, dismissing allegations that Moscow is deliberately restricting shipments to Europe.
“We are seeing a reversal of gas flows from Germany to Poland, as well as to Ukraine, of 3-5 million cubic meters per day,” Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kuprianov said in a video broadcast today.
“This gas comes from underground tanks in Germany, 47% of which have been used. And winter has just begun … it is not the most logical decision “.
The spokesman clarified that these shipments are “clearly higher than the volume delivered by Gazprom”.
On Wednesday, Poland’s permanent representative to the European Union accused Moscow of suspending shipments via the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline between Russia, Poland and Germany, accusing Gazprom of “manipulation”.
Vladimir Putin replied on Thursday that Gazprom was not carrying out any new exports through the pipeline due to a lack of European orders.
Western Europe has been facing a spike in gas prices for months due to many factors: a very cold winter 2020-2021, economic recovery after the pandemic and reduced efficiency of renewable energy sources.
Prices reached a record high on Tuesday, with temperatures dropping. Add to this the geopolitical tensions between the European Union and Moscow, which secures a third of Europe’s gas supplies.
Westerners suspect Russia is restricting exports to put pressure on Europeans on several fronts, including certifying the opening of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
“The allegations against Russia and Gazprom that we are sending a small amount of gas to the European market are completely baseless,” Sergei Kuprianov said today.
“This year, Gazprom sent 50.2 billion cubic meters to Germany, which is 5.3 billion more than last year. “Gazprom has already sent more gas than last year to the following countries: Italy, Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Denmark, Finland and Poland,” he said.
Russia is also accused of not sending extra gas to Europe via Ukraine, due to strong tensions between Moscow and Kiev. Moscow denies the allegations.
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