A GUERRA NA UCRÂNIA E O FORNECIMENTO DE GÁS RUSSO: ORA AGORA CORTO EU, ORA AGORA CORTAS TU E NO FIM VAMOS APANHAR LENHA COMO OS POLACOS?

Expliquem-me muito, muito devagar. Anunciam, e bem alto para se ouvir melhor, que  deixam de comprar à Rússia. Vá, até ao fim do ano deixamos de comprar. Entretanto a Rússia, sem esperar pelo fim do ano, deixa de vender. E ficam surpreendidos?! E chateados?!

Mas que raio de estratégia de guerra é esta pergunto eu. Ou pensaram que isto era a guerra do Solnado?

«The German government has appealed to the population to conserve energy after Russia cut supplies through a critical Baltic Sea pipeline bringing gas to Europe. Deputy chancellor Robert Habeck said the situation was “serious” and that companies and citizens should do what they could to save energy. “Every kilowatt hour helps in this situation,” he said in a video appeal published on Twitter. 

 Russia’s state-controlled gas exporter Gazprom has cut flows through the Nord Stream pipeline by 60 per cent in recent days, citing technical problems. But Germany claims the move is political, amid escalating tensions between Moscow and the west over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

 Meanwhile, other countries also reported problems with Russian gas supplies. Italy, Slovakia and Austria said they had experienced a reduction in gas flows or had been warned by Gazprom that deliveries would be cut in the coming days. 

 The Russian supply curbs came as the leaders of Germany, Italy and France visited Kyiv on Thursday in a show of support for Ukraine’s government almost four months into the war. EU politicians have accused Russia of effectively weaponising its role as one of the world’s largest oil and gas producers, with fears growing that it could retaliate against EU sanctions by turning off the gas tap to Europe. Gazprom has already shut off gas flows to Poland, Bulgaria, Finland, the Netherlands and Denmark after they refused to comply with a new rouble payment system ordered by Russian president Vladimir Putin. 

European gas prices, already running close to record levels, have soared more than 70 per cent this week in response to the latest supply restrictions, reaching €146 per megawatt hour on Wednesday — a gain of almost 30 per cent on the day. 

Gazprom has blamed the drop-off in gas flows on technical issues. Some of Nord Stream’s gas turbines, which were manufactured by Siemens Energy, underwent maintenance and repairs in Montreal but could not be returned to Russia because of Canadian sanctions against Gazprom, the company said.

But Germany has rejected that version of events. Habeck said late on Wednesday that Gazprom’s explanation was an “excuse” and the cut in flows was a “political action”. 

 “Putin is doing what we always feared he would do from the start. He is reducing the volume of gas, not at one fell swoop but gradually,” he said. 

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