Russia blames the West for the closure of Nord Stream 1 – RTVE

The Kremlin categorically rejects any attempt to blame Russia for the indefinite suspension of gas supplies to Europe through the Nord Stream gas pipeline, and again blames the West for considering that it is the sanctions that prevent the functioning of the infrastructure, threatening not resume flow if you don’t lift them. “The problems with the pumping arose due to the sanctions imposed against our country and against a series of companies by Western states, including Germany and the United Kingdom. There are no other reasons that generate problems for the pumping “, indicated the spokesman for the Russian Presidency, Dmitri Peskov. “We see constant attempts to make ourselves responsible and guilty for what is happening, we categorically reject these attempts and insist that it is precisely the West (…) that is to blame for the situation reaching this point,” he stated in his daily press conference . Oil leak in a turbine Putin’s spokesman has pointed out that “only one turbine remains operational and with faults, with breakages, which leads to the cessation of pumping.” “Bearing in mind that the sanctions are maintained, which generate legal disorder and absolute practicality in everything related to the technical service of all the equipment and facilities, because for now it only remains to trust that this single turbine can be started up,” he adds. The Russian gas consortium announced on Friday that it was completely suspending the flow of gas to Europe through Germany due to an oil leak found in a turbine of the only compressor station still in operation, something that the European Union (EU) has called a “fallacy” and as further proof that Russia is not a reliable supplier. Regarding the possibility that Russia will stop supplying oil to the West after the G7 agreement to limit the prices of Russian crude, Peskov points out that it would not be a preventive measure. “It will always be a response measure,” he clarifies. Earlier, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak warned that if a cap on Russian crude prices were implemented, Moscow would stop oil supplies. Gazprom warns of risk of explosion in the unit The Russian gas company Gazprom has once again justified the cut of supply by Nord Stream 1 due to “risk of fire or explosion” in the unit. The leak of oil in a turbine of the only compressor station still in operation, in Portovaya, would cause an accident if the operation of this gas pumping unit continued, explains the Russian company in a statement. “It should be noted that the surfaces of work on the axial compressor of a gas turbine engine in places where cable connections pass through can reach temperatures in excess of 300 degrees Celsius, while the ignition temperature of the oil is about 288 degrees” warns Gazprom, which also justifies that “according to a letter from Siemens, the causes of the oil leak can only be eliminated by a specialized repair company”.