Europe keeps trying to blame Russia for its energy woes, but its own policies have produced the current crisis, President Vladimir Putin told a press gathering in Tehran following his attendance at the Astana process summit with Iran and Turkey on July 19.
“What does Gazprom have to do with it?” Putin asked. Referring to Europe’s sabotage of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Putin said: “They closed one route, the second route, and put these gas pumping stations under sanctions. Gazprom is ready to pump as much as necessary, but [the West] closed everything themselves. And they are stepping on the same rake when it comes to oil and petroleum.… Gazprom has always fulfilled, fulfills and will continue to fulfill all of its obligations,” yet it encounters obstacles coming from Europe’s own policies. His remarks are posted to the Kremlin website. (http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/69036)
Putin also warned that Gazprom has received no official documents on the promised delivery of the turbine from Siemens which was being repaired in Canada, without which gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline will be reduced by half.
