Putin Says Europe Did Energy Crisis to Itself, Warns Price Caps Would Make It Worse

No one required Europe to do energy sanctions, just like no one required them to have a revolution in the Ukraine and then turn it into NATO ground zero.

Russia has just been doing their own thing and asking to be left alone, but the Western world is obsessed with harassing them with the goal of completely destroying their nation and society, filling it with gay anal and black people.

Reuters:

Russia’s president said Europe was to blame for its energy crisis with policies that starved the oil and gas industry of investment and said price caps would make it worse, as EU states tried to forge a deal on ways to contain soaring energy costs.

Worries about the security of energy supplies were heightened on Wednesday when a leak in Poland on the Druzhba pipeline from Russia reduced the flow of oil to Germany.

Poland said the leak was probably caused by an accident but it came as European Union nations are seeking to wean themselves off a reliance on Russian energy in response to the invasion of Ukraine in February.

The Nord Stream gas link that serves Germany is currently out of action after a leak last month that both Russia and the West have blamed on sabotage, without identifying who was behind it.

President Vladimir Putin said the leaks in the two Nord Stream pipelines running from Russia to Europe were an “act of international terrorism” and about depriving people of cheap energy.

Putin said gas could still be supplied by one intact part of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline but it was up to the EU whether or not it wanted the gas. Germany cancelled the Nord Stream 2 project after Russia sent troops into Ukraine.

Speaking at an energy forum in Russia, Putin said Russia was not to blame for the sky-high energy prices in Europe.

The impact of efforts to use less Russian energy, plus steep cuts in supplies from Russia, have been felt across the 27-nation EU, with gas prices almost 90% higher than a year ago and fears of rationing and power cuts over the coming winter.

EU energy ministers were meeting in Prague on Wednesday to try to agree new measures to tackle the crisis.

Most EU countries say they want a gas price cap, but disagree on its design. Some countries, including Germany, Europe’s biggest gas market, remain opposed, arguing it risks choking off supplies.

Germany and the Netherlands put forward their own proposals before Wednesday’s meeting in the Czech capital – suggesting 10 “no-regret” EU measures, including a new benchmark price for liquefied natural gas, tougher targets to save gas, and negotiating lower prices with other suppliers, such as Norway.

Across Europe, analysts have put the gas supply shortfall at almost 15% of average winter demand and said Germany needed to cut energy consumption by around a fifth, with worrying implications for Europe’s biggest economy whose industry has relied on abundant, affordable energy supplies.

The energy crisis has had knock-on effects across the whole of Europe as businesses have passed on extra costs, squeezing household budgets.

Governments are also trying to figure out how to fund emergency measures taken to protect customers and smooth out the distortions caused by the surge in prices.

Well, at least Greta has given Germany permission to turn their nuclear power plants on.

That might help a little bit.

It’s really generous of Greta.