The Kremlin spokesman on Monday refuted claims that the closure of the Nord Stream pipeline was in retaliation against Western sanctions.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that sanctions have been “causing chaos” in maintenance plans on the pipeline following the halt in gas deliveries to Europe for three days on Aug. 31.
The pipeline planned to open on Saturday. However, Russian energy giant Gazprom said Friday that the pipeline, which supplies gas to Europe, would remain shut due to a technical problem and could not restart until it is fixed.
The decision to halt supplies came soon after G7 member states agreed Friday to cap Russian crude oil export prices.
The state-run energy company said oil leaks in the pipeline’s compressor units could not be fully eliminated unless repairs are undertaken at a specialized repair facility.
'Sanctions restrict us from even undertaking maintenance, exporting without the proper legal guarantees, and giving legal guarantees,' Peskov told reporters.
However, he said that natural gas shipments through Nord Stream “may begin if the sanctions against Russia are repealed,” while blaming the supply halts on the current Western sanctions.
Reporting by Emre Gurkan Abay in Moscow
Writing by Sibel Morrow
Anadolu Agency
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