More Russian gas will soon be coming back to Europe. Russia said it is prepared to resume gas supplies to Europe through the Yamal-Europe pipeline, which was stopped for political reasons.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that the European market remains relevant, and as the gas shortage continues, there is an opportunity for supplies to resume.
There has recently been an increase in demand for gas in Europe, Novak said and blamed political tensions for the stop of gas flow.
“It is clear that a large-scale campaign was launched against us, which ended with acts of sabotage against Nord Stream,” he said.
There has been an energy standoff between Russia and Europe since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
The Yamal-Europe Pipeline usually flows westward but has been mostly reversed since December of 2021 as Poland turned away from buying from Russia in favor of drawing on stored gas in Germany.
In May, Warsaw terminated its agreement with Russia, after earlier rejecting Moscow’s demand that it pays in roubles.
Russian supplier Gazprom responded by cutting off supply and also said it would no longer be able to export gas via Poland after Moscow imposed sanctions against the firm that owns the Polish section of the Yamal-Europe pipeline.
Novak said that Russia is also discussing additional gas supplies through Turkey after the creation of a hub there. Moscow is also discussing higher supplies of its gas to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and Russia has agreed with Azerbaijan to increase gas supplies for its domestic consumption, Novak said.
Novak also said that in the long term, Russia can send its natural gas to the markets of Afghanistan and Pakistan, either using the infrastructure of Central Asia or in a swap from the territory of Iran.
Europe has been suffering an energy crisis, with energy prices soaring across the continent and the United Kingdom.
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