The Kremlin made scathing remarks about shutting off Russia’s natural gas flow to Europe via the crucial Nord Stream 1 pipeline on Monday, saying that shipments would not restart until the ‘Collective West’ relaxes sanctions.
According to Reuters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov during a conference call stated, “Problems with gas supply arose because of the sanctions imposed on our country by Western states, including Germany and Britain.”
Peskov stated that if sanctions are loosened, Nord Stream 1 will “definitely” start supplying Europe again.
Russian national gas firm Gazprom has already been reducing natural gas supplies through the Nord Stream 1 for a few months before totally shutting off its delivery last Friday.
The firm and the Kremlin have asserted without wavering that the cause for the slowed gas shipments was technical.
The standard Dutch natural-gas futures rose by up to 36% in a single day on Monday as a result of the complete shutdown of Nord Stream 1.
Around 40% of the natural gas used in Europe comes from Russia, and the majority of it is shipped via pipelines.
According to Reuters, more than one-third of Russia’s 155 billion cubic meters of fuel exported to Europe in 2021 came via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
