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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Moscow is ready to resume gas supplies to Europe via a link of the Germany-bound Nord Stream 2 pipeline under the Baltic Sea — an offer quickly rejected by Berlin.
German officials have said Russia halted supplies through the Nord Stream 1 as a political gambit and questioned why supplies through Nord Stream 2 would be any more reliable.
Natural gas powers factories, heats homes and generates electricity, and despite Russia’s reductions, Europe has been able to bring its gas storage to 90% full for winter by securing other supplies. Natural gas prices have fallen markedly from August peaks, but are still 80% higher than they were a year ago.
Speaking at a Moscow energy forum, Putin again charged that the U.S. was likely behind the explosions that ripped through both links of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline and one of the two links of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, causing a massive gas leak and taking them out of service.
The U.S. has previously rejected similar allegations by Putin. Several European governments said the undersea explosions that ripped through both Nord Stream pipelines were likely caused by sabotage but stopped short of assigning blame.
The Russian leader has repeatedly taunted the West by raising the prospect of sending gas through Nord Stream 2, a political nonstarter for the German government and others.
German government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann noted that Putin had already made similar comments.
