© REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File PhotoPipes at the landfall facilities of the 'Nord Stream 1' gas pipeline in Lubmin, Germany
Pipes at the landfall facilities of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline in Lubmin, Germany, July 21, 2022.
Pipes at the landfall facilities of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline in Lubmin, Germany, July 21, 2022.
"If Europeans absolutely absurdly make a decision refusing to conduct maintenance of [Gazprom's] equipment, which they must service under the contract, then this is not the fault of Gazprom, it is the fault of those politicians who made the decision to impose sanctions," Peskov said, RIA Novosti reported.
The Kremlin spokesman lashed out at EU governments, saying that it was their fault that their own citizens are "shell-shocked" seeing current electricity bills. He pointed out that the situation will only worsen when temperatures fall.
Peskov stressed that Gazprom did nothing to undermine its reputation as a reliable supplier of energy resources, which it has been working on for decades. He stated that all the blame in the current situation lies with western states.
His words were echoed by Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, who noted that the EU and Canada, where the pipeline's turbines are being repaired by Siemens, must amend their sanctions to fulfill their contractual obligations to maintain and fix the equipment obtained by Gazprom.
"The short-sighted policy [of the West] leads to the situation where we see a collapse in the energy markets of Europe. And the worst is yet to come," Novak said.
Russia will closely monitor the decisions that the EU will make about visas for Russians. If restrictions are imposed, Moscow will take serious retaliatory measures, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday during the broadcast of the Rossiya-1 TV channel's 'Moscow. Kremlin. Putin' program.
"Indeed, for many of our fellow citizens it will be extremely unpleasant if such restrictions are introduced, although you have to look carefully here too, things may change in terms of such initiatives. We'll see how it all ends. This is unprecedented, of course, it will require serious reciprocal steps from our side," he said, answering the questions of journalist Pavel Zarubin about the visa situation.
Any crisis ends at the negotiating table, and any confrontation ends with detente, which will be the case now as well, Peskov said.
"Any confrontation ends with detente, any crisis situations end at the negotiating table. And so it will be this time. It's unlikely to happen early, yes, more likely late, but it will happen anyway," he said, commenting on the situation in relations with the EU and the US at journalist Pavel Zarubin's request.
But another thing, Peskov continued, is that by that time Russia will already have invaluable experience and "the knowledge of dialogue with them".
"Not that on our terms, but in such a way that our interests do not suffer in any way. And we will have this firmness. I have no doubt," the Kremlin spokesman concluded.
Russia has something to talk about with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky: the implementation of its conditions for resolving the situation in Ukraine, Peskov said.
Zarubin asked the Kremlin spokesman if Moscow had anything to talk about with Zelensky after his statements about his unwillingness to resolve the situation peacefully.
"Of course, about how our conditions will be met," Peskov said.
He responded in affirmative to a question about whether Russia's conditions remain the same.
"Absolutely," the spokesman stressed, adding, "The operation proceeds as planned, all goals will be achieved."
Comment: The US continues to buy Uranium from Russia, and certain EU states continue to buy oil and gas, meanwhile there are other areas where these sanctions are enforced mercilessly, such as with the Nord Stream I turbine that was delayed, and Canada and Germany themselves admitted as much. Moreover, Siemens is overseeing much of the ongoing work at Nord Stream I, so if Russia was lying, they'd surely be speaking out about it. Finally, Nord Stream II simply needs certifying by Germany and it could, in theory, be brought online.
Taken together, the West, and the EU more specifically, is sabotaging the maintenance of their energy supply which they know will result in incredible suffering for their citizens and the overall destruction of their economies, by way of enforced energy rationing, blackouts, businesses going bankrupt, and citizens being forced to choose between heating and eating.