Russia called the introduction of an increase in gas to Europe: State Economy: Economy: Lenta.ru
Russia made it clear to Europe that it is ready to increase gas supplies only if the European regulator approves the launch of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, informs Bloomberg citing a source close to Gazprom and the Kremlin.
In exchange for the introduction of the pipeline. “We cannot come to an agreement on help just to compensate for the mistakes that we did not commit,” the agency reports the words of Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev. According to him, Russia has fully assumed obligations for gas supplies. Europe called on Russia to increase gas supplies to keep fuel prices higher and the growing economic crisis. Additional supplies of Russian gas as the main way to avoid an even more serious fuel shortage during the winter heating season.
The first string of Nord Stream 2 has already been filled with technical gas, and commissioning work on the second is continuing. Nord Stream 2 must be certified by an independent operator. This procedure may drag on until the spring of 2022. According to the Oxford Institute for Energy Research, Russian gas exports to Europe in 2021 have grown since 2020, but are still lagging behind 2019. Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that the launch of Nord Stream 2 would significantly reduce tensions on the European energy market. However, the president notes administrative barriers that prevent the pipeline from starting to work.
The deputy head of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, also states that Gazprom fully complies with its requirements for the supply of gas to European buyers. According to him, Europe has no reason to believe that Russia is putting pressure on the gas market and manipulating it. At the same time, the final permission from Germany is the last step towards the launch of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. This was announced earlier by the Russian Ambassador to Great Britain Andrei Kelin. The diplomat said that the gas pipeline is completely ready for use, but the certification process may take several months.