European Union Ready If Russia Turns Off Gas Supplies: EU Official
NDTV
Russian gas giant Gazprom said Friday that the Nord Stream pipeline linking Russia to northern Germany, which was due to resume service Saturday after a three-day interruption for maintenance operations, would be "completely" stopped until a turbine is repaired.
EU Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said Saturday that the European Union was "well prepared" in the event of a total halt in Russian gas deliveries, thanks to storage capacity and energy-saving measures.
"We are well prepared to resist Russia's extreme use of the gas weapon," he told reporters on the sidelines of an economic forum organised by The European House - Ambrosetti.
"We are not afraid of Putin's decisions, we are asking the Russians to respect contracts, but if they don't, we are ready to react," he said.
