Berlin has condemned Russian energy giant Gazprom’s decision to cut its gas flow through the Nord Stream pipeline over technical difficulties, with the country’s economy minister, Robert Habeck, claiming the move was politically motivated.
“I have the impression that what happened yesterday is a political decision and not a decision that can be justified in technical terms,” Habeck told reporters on Wednesday.
Gazprom said it would reduce the capacity of gas supplies via the Nord Stream pipeline by 67 million cubic meters per day to some 100 million cubic meters. The company explained it had to halt operations at one more Siemens pumping unit at the pipeline, blaming the technical issues on Western sanctions. Namely, the repaired gas pumping units for the North Stream pipeline cannot be returned from a factory in Canada due to the country’s sanctions against Russia.