Putin Offers to Resume Gas Supplies to Europe

Facts

• Russian Pres. Putin on Wednesday offered to restart gas deliveries to Europe via the undamaged parts of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
• Speaking at the 5th Russian Energy Week International Forum in Moscow, he said it was now up to the EU to decide whether it wanted supplies to resume. The Russian president called the explosions that led to gas leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines an "act of international terrorism."
• Putin again accused the US of likely being responsible for the explosions to force Europe to buy more expensive Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from the US - accusations Washington vehemently denies. However, one of the two Nord Stream 2 pipelines remains pressurized and could likely resume deliveries, he said.
• Putin also proposed diverting Nord Stream gas supplies from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea region, making Turkey "the largest gas hub for Europe." Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez said he had no prior knowledge of the proposal, saying, "These are things that need to be discussed."
• In response to Putin's offer, the German government ruled out receiving gas through the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. However, a spokesperson added that Russia could still resume gas supplies via Nord Stream 1, which isn't under an embargo.
• Meanwhile, on Wednesday, at an informal meeting of the EU energy ministers in Prague, the group discussed measures to curb high energy prices. Although no agreement could be reached on price caps, EU nations reportedly reached a general consensus on the combined purchase of gas before next summer.

Sources: DW, Euro, Associated Press, Business Insider, Reuters, and EU Observer.

Narratives

• Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by Time. While energy prices are skyrocketing in Europe, Putin's hypocritical offer is the latest proof of how cynically Moscow weaponizes gas exports. But Putin has massively miscalculated, as Moscow is virtually forcing Europe to pursue energy independence, and Russia is already losing market shares to Algeria, Qatar, and Azerbaijan.
• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by RT. The fact that Putin's offer to resume gas deliveries is falling on deaf ears shows that Brussels and Berlin are no longer pursuing a rational policy. For EU citizens, this is terrible news ahead of winter, and while the EU is serving US interests, things don't look good for Europe in the long run.

Predictions