Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has blamed European politicians for the suspension of the "Nord Stream-1" pipeline, the main supplier of natural gas in the old continent, while European Council President Charles Michel is visiting Algeria and Qatar this week to discuss the energy crisis in Europe.
Peskov added, on Sunday, that Europe made many mistakes that must be paid for, as he described it, and that only European leaders bear the responsibility for stopping the "Nord Stream-1" line from work last Friday.
The Russian gas giant "Gazprom" attributed the complete halt in gas supplies, through the line that passes through the Baltic Sea to Germany, to the discovery of an oil leak in one of the turbines.
The Russian authorities accuse European leaders of being responsible for the difficulties in delivering gas shipments, stressing that Western sanctions imposed on Moscow following its war on Ukraine have deprived the Nord Stream-1 gas pipeline of equipment that ensures its proper functioning.
On the other hand, Europeans say that Russia is using this pretext to subject them to energy blackmail as winter approaches and several countries fear facing a shortage of gas supplies.
Moscow stopped supplies via the Nord Stream-1 line indefinitely, hours after the finance ministers of the Group of Seven (Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States) announced last Friday that they plan to implement a ceiling on the price of crude oil for Russia and its petroleum products.
The G7 finance ministers said the move aims to "reduce Russia's ability to finance its aggressive war (on Ukraine) as well as reduce the impact of this war on global energy prices."
Algeria and Qatar
In a related context, the German news agency quoted diplomatic sources as saying that the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, will visit Algeria today to discuss prospects for cooperation, especially in the field of energy.
These sources indicated that Michel would discuss with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune files, on top of which is the possibility of supplying more gas to Europe.
Reuters quoted a Qatari government official as saying that the European Council President will visit the country this week to discuss several regional and international issues, including the energy crisis and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.
And Luis Miguel Bueno, spokesman for the European Union in the Middle East and North Africa, said - in a previous interview with Al Jazeera - that the EU countries had received gas from other countries in the past months, amounting to about 21 billion cubic meters.
German Chancellor
Yesterday, German Chancellor Olaf Schulz described Russia as not a reliable partner in the field of energy, and stressed that his country had prepared for this possibility and was in a position to face the coming months.
The Ministry of Economy said that the level of gas storage in the country amounted to about 85% of the capacity.
But Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of the Russian National Security Council, was quick to respond to Schultz when he accused Berlin of acting as an enemy of his country and waging a "hybrid" war against it, as it not only imposed sanctions on Russia but also provided Ukraine with lethal weapons directed against the Russian army, he said.
Medvedev: Germany is waging a hybrid war against Russia by imposing sanctions on its economy and providing Ukraine with lethal weapons (Reuters)
To face the repercussions of the Russian gas halt, the European Union countries rushed to take emergency measures to avoid any crisis during the coming winter, as the demand for gas for heating increases.
Yesterday, Finland and Sweden announced plans to provide billions of dollars to energy companies to avoid the risk of bankruptcy in time of crisis, and Berlin unveiled an aid plan worth 65 billion euros to ease the financial burdens of families due to the decline in Russian gas supplies and high energy bills.
The day before yesterday, a massive demonstration took place in the Czech capital, Prague, blaming the Europeans for the lack of energy supplies and high prices.
For his part, French Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire said that the immediate challenge that his country is focusing on with the approach of winter is to obtain more gas, oil and electricity from countries other than Russia.
european meeting
Reuters reported that a document - seen by it - stated that the energy ministers of the European Union countries are scheduled to discuss next Friday options to curb high energy prices, including setting a ceiling for the price of gas and emergency financing for energy market players.
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said that the next six months will be crucial, noting that the Europeans know that a difficult winter awaits them and they are in the process of reconsidering their dependence on Russian energy sources.
It should be noted that the energy crisis in Europe coincides this year with a drought in the old continent, a significant rise in global rates of inflation, with the continuing repercussions of the Ukrainian-Russian war on the global economy.