In retaliation for Western sanctions over the Ukraine conflict, Russia has halted natural gas supplies to a Gazprom business seized by Germany.
According to German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, Gazprom Germania GmbH and its subsidiaries are no longer receiving all contracted volumes. He claims that Europe’s greatest economy and a major importer of Russian gas is getting gas from alternative sources and will be able to cope with the inconvenience.
Dealings with Gazprom Germania and its many subsidiaries, which are now under the supervision of Germany’s energy regulator, were outlawed by Moscow. That includes energy supplier Wings GmbH, a European gas storage business, the London-based trading arm of Gazprom, and Europol Gaz, owner of the Polish section of the Yamal-Europe pipeline connecting Russia to Germany.
Germany temporarily assumed control of Gazprom Germania last month to ensure supply security.
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatened to bring about the very enlargement of the Western military alliance that Vladimir Putin sought to prevent, Finland announced on Thursday that it would apply to join NATO “without delay,” with Sweden anticipated to follow suit.
The decision by the two Nordic countries to renounce their Cold War-era neutrality would be one of the most significant developments in European security in decades. Finland’s declaration was interpreted by Moscow as a direct threat to Russia, and retaliation was threatened, including undefined “military-technical” measures.
