Russian gas began flowing to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline today, Thursday, after a 10-day hiatus, but the European Union maintained its fears that the quantities of gas coming from Moscow may decrease, or even be completely cut off in the future.

A spokesman for "Gazprom" - the operator of the pipeline - said that Russian gas supplies to Germany had resumed after stopping about two weeks due to annual maintenance work.

The pipeline normally carries more than a third of Russia's gas exports to Europe, but is now operating at only 40% of capacity after the Kremlin-controlled Gazprom cut gas exports due to turbine repair work.

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused Russia of trying to blackmail Europe by using energy as a weapon, something denied by Moscow, which does not have the ability to quickly redirect all its gas exports to other markets.

On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the West and its sanctions for the decline in Russian gas pumping to Europe.

consumption reduction

In order to face the fears of stopping Russian gas supplies during the winter season, the Commission asked at a conference in Brussels - on the plan to dispense with Russian gas - from its members to study the implementation of a mandatory reduction in gas demand, if the need arises.

The European Commission presented to the EU countries a plan to voluntarily reduce the demand for gas by 15% during the next eight months, as part of tools aimed at confronting any possible further reduction in Russian gas supplies.

The European Commission's proposal is to reduce demand for the period from August to next March, compared to the average consumption during the past five years.


European differences

For its part, Spain rejected the European Commission's proposal to reduce the consumption of natural gas by 15% in the coming months, for fear of an interruption in Russian gas supplies.

Spanish Environment Minister Teresa Ribera said in a press conference that no matter what happens, Spanish families will not be cut off from electricity or gas;

Spain will defend its industry, as she put it.

For his part, Portuguese Energy Minister Joao Galampa said that the Portuguese government will not support the plan proposed yesterday by the European Commission, which aims to reduce European demand for gas by 15%.

The Portuguese official considered, in a statement to the newspaper "Publico" today, Thursday, that the European proposal is not compatible with the countries directly connected to the gas network.

On the other hand, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that his country supports the European Commission's decision to reduce the use of natural gas by 15%, and that this decision will be for the benefit of the European Union as a whole.

Habeck said that his country will work to reduce energy consumption during the coming period, noting that German residents are required to maintain a consumption rate in specific degrees, to avoid any waste.


Hungary demands gas

In the context, the party Fidesz, led by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, announced that Foreign Minister Peter Sigarto will travel to Moscow on Thursday to discuss the receipt of additional shipments of gas.

"In order to ensure the security of energy supplies in Hungary, the government has decided to purchase an additional 700 million cubic meters of Russian natural gas, in addition to the quantities stipulated in the long-term contracts," the party wrote on Facebook.

This comes at a time when the European Commission announced that the seventh package of its sanctions against Russia is being implemented.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the approval by member states of the enhanced and prolonged sanctions imposed by the European Union on the Kremlin.

The European Commission President, in a tweet via Twitter, said that the European Union will continue to pressure Moscow, no matter how long it takes.


Russian threat

In the field of oil, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak was quoted by Interfax as saying that Russia will not supply oil to the global market, if a price ceiling is imposed.

In an interview with Russian television, Novak said that if the prices were less than the cost of production, Russia would not guarantee the supply of oil to global markets, and this means that we would not work at a loss.

As he put it.

This came after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that oil prices would witness sharp increases if a ceiling was imposed on Russian oil prices.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has called for a cap on Russian oil, with the aim of driving global oil prices down and making it more difficult for Moscow to finance its war on Ukraine.

For his part, Wali Ademo, Deputy Secretary of the US Treasury, announced that the United States hopes to impose a global ceiling on Russian oil prices by next December.

Ademo stressed that America's goal is to have a maximum price for Russian oil, to help reduce global energy prices.