French President warns of gas shortage this winter
French President Emanuel Macron warns against Europe’s diminishing ability to cope with dwindling gas supplies in the not too distant future. Making remarks at a government leaders’ summit in Prague on Thursday, Macron said the continent will have to struggle with limited gas supplies during winter 2023-2024 versus next winter, Reuters reported.
The French head of state said Europe will hold close talks with gas suppliers and turn to major Asian “partner countries” for gas purchases.
“The continent would also put in place mechanisms to ensure financial solidarity between European states for energy purchases,” the agency added, citing Macron.
“The continent would also put in place mechanisms to ensure financial solidarity between European states when purchasing energy,” the agency added, quoting Macron.
Russia has either curbed or reduced its gas exports to the rest of Europe in protest against sanctions imposed by the continent on Moscow for its ongoing military operation in Ukraine in February.
Early last month, Russia said gas supplies to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline would not fully resume until Western countries reached a common decision and sanctions were lifted. not been lifted.
In making the announcement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed European Union, UK and Canadian sanctions for Russia’s failure to deliver gas through the vital pipeline.
He said the sanctions created a “pumping problem” by preventing proper maintenance of the pipeline units.
French President warns of gas shortage this winter
Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines connect Russia and Europe via the Baltic Sea. Later, in September, the pipelines were hit with unexplained leaks.
Moscow has again given responsibility to the West and its sanctions, with Peskov saying: “It is the collective West – in this case the European Union, Canada and Great Britain – that are responsible for the situation that comes to this point”.
