Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that Russia allegedly restricts gas exports in order to further raise gas prices and create an energy crisis. This was announced at the forum “Open Zakarpattia 2021. Development Forum”.
“Let’s call a spade a spade. Russia is restricting exports in order to further raise gas prices, create an energy crisis and justify the launch of Nord Stream 2, Kuleba said (quoted by RIA Novosti). He noted that the gas shortage in the European market says that additional routes do not guarantee an increase in supplies to the region.
Earlier, Amos Hochstein, a spokesman for the US State Department for Energy Security, said that Russia did not provoke the current energy crisis in Europe, but did not take measures to mitigate it. He welcomed the decision of the Russian Federation to increase gas supplies to Europe, but he would like this to happen a month earlier.
This fall, the growth of exchange prices for gas in Europe reached record levels. The reason for this was, among other things, the shortage of gas in the storage facilities of Europe, the reserves in which reached a ten-year minimum – 75% against 94% last year, and calm weather, which led to a decrease in the efficiency of wind generation, also contributed.
Against this background, in October Gazprom refused to book additional transit capacities for 9.8 million cubic meters. meters of gas per day through Ukraine in November through the Sudzha gas distribution station and up to 5.2 million cubic meters. m per day through the station “Preservation”.
Putin, speaking at a plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club, said that the energy crisis in Europe is “a man-made result of the economic policy of the European Commission.” The energy crisis, he said, was also formed due to insufficient gas supplies from American and Middle Eastern companies and a reduction in production in the EU.
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