Gazprom is now speaking out on the gas conflict with the EU

The Russian energy giant Gazprom has rejected the charge of restricting gas deliveries to the EU. “All allegations against Russia and Gazprom, according to which we would not deliver enough gas to the European market, are absolutely unfounded, unacceptable and untrue,” said a company spokesman on state television late on Saturday evening.

He condemned Germany’s resale of Russian gas supplies to Poland amid the Europe-wide rise in energy prices.

The Polish government this week accused Moscow of having stopped its gas supplies to Europe via the Yamal pipeline and accused Gazprom of “manipulation”. That week Germany pumped gas in the opposite direction to Poland.

Russian President Vladimir Putin denied political instrumentalisation of the pipeline on Friday. Instead, he accused Poland of “bypassing” Russia when operating the pipeline.

Gazprom accuses Germany of driving up gas prices

Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov described the allegations against the company and Russia as “lies” and emphasized that some customers of Russian gas, especially Germany and France, had not ordered any additional quantities of gas.

Pumping gas in the opposite direction is not “the most rational decision,” he added, given the “just beginning winter”.

Kuprijanow also accused Germany of having driven energy prices up further by supplying Poland. The prices for “counter-deliveries” are “significantly higher than the prices for volume contracts determined by Gazprom,” he said.

“Western Europe created its own problems and there is no need to blame Gazprom for them,” he added. The EU states should “look better in the mirror”.

Federal Ministry of Economics sees gas supply secured

Western states have been accusing Russia for weeks of reducing gas supplies to Europe in order to exert political pressure in this way. Some experts see the procedure as an attempt by Moscow to force the controversial Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 2 to go into operation.

The massive tensions on the Ukrainian border have also been causing disputes between Russia and the West for weeks.

The Federal Ministry of Economics said on Sunday that it was “very closely” observing the situation with regard to gas supply and quantities. “The security of supply is still guaranteed,” emphasized the ministry in a communication to the AFP news agency.

There are currently no signs of supply bottlenecks. “According to our information, the long-term supply contracts, including the Russian ones, will be adhered to and the long-term quantities of gas will arrive in Germany.”