Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday 6 October that Russia played “absolutely no role” in the spike in gas prices, according to Reuters news agency.
This statement sounds like a response to accusations from some voices within the European Union.
“Existing pipelines through Ukraine and Poland remain largely unused (...) The same goes for the gas storage facilities that are owned by Gazprom (...) We believe that these are clear signs of market manipulations”, said Polish Minister of Climate and Environment Adam Guibourgé-Czetwertyński on Wednesday 6 October at a meeting of EU Member States' environment ministers (see EUROPE 12806/6).
He further called on the Commission to “properly investigate these unfair market practices”. This request was also made on the same day by several political groups in the European Parliament (see EUROPE 12806/12).
For Mr Peskov, the causes of the sharp rise in gas prices lie elsewhere. “There are a couple of reasons: the way the economy is recovering, how demand for the energy resources is growing, as well gas storages are not filled in”, he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the EU had made “a mistake” in reducing the share of long-term natural gas contracts in favour of spot market purchases, at a government meeting broadcast on television on Wednesday.
On the same day, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak urged the German regulator to give the green light to Nord Stream 2, stressing that the certification of the pipeline could mitigate soaring gas prices in Europe.
It should also be noted that Azeri President Ilham Aliyev has made assurances that Azerbaijan is ready to increase its fossil gas supplies to Europe. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)