After Russia announced an extended halt of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, European Union (EU) Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni on Saturday stated that the 27-nation bloc is ‘ready to react’ in case of a total halt of Russian gas deliveries.
“We expect that Russia is respecting the contracts that they have but even if the weaponisation of energy will continue or will increase in response to our decisions, I think that the European Union is ready to react,” said Gentiloni.
Read more: Russian energy giant Gazprom halts Nord Stream 1 gas supplies for maintenance
Asserting that Brussels was not afraid of the Russian president, Gentiloni added, “We are not afraid of Putin’s decisions. We asked Putin to respect their contracts but if they don’t respect their contracts then we are ready to react.”
As reported extensively by WION, after G7 nations on Friday vowed to “urgently” implement a price cap on Russian oil imports, Kremlin swung into action and immediately announced that the resumption of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline will be delayed due to ‘leakages’ in sections of the pipeline.
Read more: G7 nations talk of implementing Russian oil price cap ‘urgently’
In a statement, Gazprom indicated it had discovered “oil leaks” in a turbine during a planned three-day maintenance operation and that “until it is repaired… the transport of gas via Nord Stream is completely suspended”.
Moreover, Moscow’s decision to halt the gas supplies came in the backdrop of the EU agreeing on the proposition to suspend a 2007 visa travel deal, under which Russian tourists entering the bloc for holidays, shopping and other reasons will be curbed.
“We agreed on full suspension of the European Union-Russia visa facilitation agreement. This will significantly reduce the number of new visas issued by the EU member states. It’s going to be more difficult, it’s going to take longer,” said Josep Borrell, EU’s high representative for foreign policy.
Read more: EU agrees to suspend visa travel deal with Russia. Defers full tourist visa ban
The European Union, along with other western countries have been on Russia’s tail since February in the form of sanctions and other restrictions. However, so far, it is the EU that is paying much of the price for its stand.
(With inputs from agencies)
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