Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Nord Stream 2 pipeline could be used to increase gas supplies to Europe.
Speaking to the media after meetings with Turkish and Iranian leaders on Tuesday, Putin offered such a solution to the energy crisis in Europe.
Putin told that Russia could launch the newly completed and never -used Nord Stream 2 pipeline, but it may only be able to drain half of its capacity as the rest has been reserved for domestic use.
Nord Stream 2 is a 1,234 km long natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany that flows through the Baltic Sea, funded by Gazprom and several European energy companies.
The project was started in 2011 and was completed in September 2021, built to expand the Nord Stream channel and double annual capacity.
However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had suspended his certification in February after Moscow launched its military operation over Ukraine.
The offer from the Russian leader was seen as ‘bait’ for Europe to lift restrictions on its energy imports.
Nord Stream 1 is currently closed for maintenance until July 22, but the EU worries that Moscow may continue to close it to put pressure on Europe by cutting supplies ahead of winter.
Allowing those concerns, Putin said the operation of the gas pipeline would resume this week, but at a lower rate.
Meanwhile, Putin also warned the West that his plans to limit Russian oil prices would destabilize the global oil market and drive prices soaring.
