Putin called on the EU to lift sanctions on Nord Stream 2 if he was “impatient”

Siemens officials have recorded that the Nord Stream turbines need to be repaired, so now they cannot be used in work, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference following his visit to Uzbekistan. He stressed that Russia, contrary to the statements of the EU, has nothing to do with the breakdown. In his opinion, if European countries are “impatient” and “hard” in the situation with gas supplies, they can lift sanctions from Nord Stream 2.

“In the end, if it’s impatient, if everything is so difficult, take and lift the sanctions on Nord Stream 2 – 55 billion cubic meters a year, just press the button – and everything went. No, they closed it themselves, they closed it here, they cannot repair it here, this new gas pipeline was put under sanctions. They don’t want to open Nord Stream 2, but are we to blame? Let them think about who is to blame for what, and don’t blame us for their own mistakes,” the president said.

Regarding the Nord Stream turbines, Mr. Putin said that Siemens representatives signed documents on the repair of engines. Now they are explosive, so “it is impossible to exploit.”

The head of the Russian Federation also believes that the energy crisis in Europe did not arise from the beginning of the special operation in Ukraine. The accusations against Russia are “another attempt to shift a problem or a headache from a sick person to a healthy one.” “Gazprom” and the Russian Federation, according to the president, have always fulfilled and will not cease to fulfill their obligations on gas.

Gas pumping through Nord Stream was reduced to 20% of its full capacity in August, as only one of the six turbines could function. One broken engine was sent to Siemens for repairs. However, after the repair, Gazprom was unable to pick up the turbine due to sanctions. In early September, the company announced that it would not launch Nord Stream on September 3, as it discovered an oil leak at its Trent 60 gas compressor unit.

Nord Stream 2 was not put into commercial operation due to the suspension by Germany of gas pipeline certification in February 2022 and US sanctions against the project operator, Nord Stream 2 AG. Now Nord Stream 2 is being used to gasify regions in northwestern Russia.

Polina Sobakina