Russian Permanent Representative to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) said that Russia could completely stop Nord Stream, the main pipeline for Russian gas supplies to Europe. The words of the official are quoted by RIA Novosti.

“As for Nord Stream, you need to ask Siemens why the turbine needs to be sent to Canada for repairs. When all these turbines go to Canada for repairs, it may stop, I think it will be a disaster for Germany,” the permanent representative warned.

At the moment, Nord Stream is operating at only 40% of its capacity, supplying Europe with 67 million cubic meters of gas. The reason for the reduction in supplies is the German Siemens turbines, which the company sent for repairs to Canada and cannot return to Russia due to the imposed sanctions. Against this background, European companies have already reported that Gazprom has reduced the volume of deliveries below the level stipulated in the contracts.

Despite the fact that companies have a margin of safety and can replace falling supplies from other sources, gas prices continue to update local highs. During the auction on June 16, the price of 1,000 cubic meters exceeded $1,500, although at yesterday's session it closed at $1,320. Against this background, the head of Gazprom, Alexei Miller , expressed "great gratitude" to Europe for the third energy package, which untied gas prices from oil. The top manager is convinced that the rejection of long-term contracts has led to a shortage of gas in the EU. Miller also recalled that Europe always has the opportunity to revive Nord Stream 2, which is "almost ready to launch."

European politicians, on the contrary, argue that Russia is to blame for the gas shortage, which deliberately refuses exchange trading and uses fuel as a political instrument of pressure. Nord Stream is still the main gas pipeline in Europe, its capacity is estimated at 170 million cubic meters of gas per day, but the current level of supplies is estimated at only 67 million cubic meters. Also, about 40 million cubic meters of gas are supplied to Europe from Russia through the Ukrainian system and about 20 million more through Turkish pipelines.