Russia halts Nord Stream 1 gas flow to Europe again
Al JazeeraDec 25, 2022
The Facts
Hours after G-7 countries agreed to impose a price cap on Russian oil, the Russian energy giant Gazprom extended the shutdown of gas flows through Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany on Friday. The state-owned oil and gas company said supplies would remain halted indefinitely after a leak was detected at its Portovaya compressor station.
Gazprom stopped gas flows on Wed. for a maintenance window but had been set to resume on Saturday.
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
Russia is using its gas supplies to try to create an economic crisis on the continent, as it looks to hit back against Western sanctions. It's clear that Moscow is using natural gas as a weapon of war, and Europe must prepare for the worst-case scenario of a complete interruption of supplies.
Pro-Russia narrative
Gazprom is committed to meeting its gas export contracts, but Western financial sanctions have seriously diminished the pipeline's capacity and posed challenges to maintenance, meaning Gazprom simply can't fulfill them as it usually would.
