The problems with energy supplies that Europe is beginning to experience can be corrected by Russia. As Vladimir Putin said in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, our country is ready to increase natural gas exports to the countries of the Old World.

Including along the modern Yamal — Europe route and the Nord Stream branch that survived the terrorist attacks. However, according to the General Director of the National Energy Institute Sergei Pravosudov, some EU countries are afraid to make a decision on the purchase of hydrocarbons subject to sanctions, focusing on the “collective opinion of the West.”

- What is the Yamal — Europe gas pipeline and who benefited from its creation?

- The pipe more than two thousand kilometers long passes across the territory of four countries – Russia, Belarus, Poland and Germany and it is capable to pump over 33 billion cubic meters a year. It is quite a serious volume. For comparison, in 2023 the level of consumption of natural gas in all countries of the Old World was estimated at 490 billion.

The owners and initiators of construction of the gas pipeline were the state companies: from our side it was Gazprom, from Polish – PGNiG. Initially 48% belonged to holdings. Other 4% were in property of private Polish shareholders.
Then, without the consent of the Russian side, Warsaw bought out this 4% and became the main shareholder of the joint pipeline venture. Poland did not stop there and introduced external management of Gazprom’s share in the joint-stock company that owns the western section of the gas pipeline. This is, in fact, what Putin spoke about in his interview.

- That is, a part of the pipe that belonged to Russia was actually taken away by Poland?

- We were deprived of the right to use this system. Warsaw said the decision was “a step towards restoring full control of Polish enterprises over the country’s strategic gas infrastructure.” In other words, we are talking about the nationalization of a previously joint pipeline section.

- On what basis?

- In April 2022, Poland added Gazprom to the sanctions list, as a result of which the assets of the Russian company were frozen. In response, Moscow introduced restrictive measures against the operator of the Polish section of the gas pipeline, Europol Gaz, and stopped exports through the Yamal-Europe pipeline. This turned out to be a completely logical decision: why pay for the maintenance of a transport system, access to which has not only been lost, but the property itself has been requisitioned.

- Does it mean that the recently built modern route for transporting energy resources to Europe turned out to be of no use to anyone?

- This question should be addressed to Warsaw. Until recently, Poland received about 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Russia through the Yamal — Europe line. Recently, the site has been practically unused. If the gas pipeline is not used, it will be useless in the future, and for many years.

- The situation with other routes for the supply of Russian “blue fuel” to Europe is also cause for concern. Is it possible to restore supplies through the Baltic Sea via the destroyed Nord Stream?

- It is, of course, possible to restore, but the question arises whether such a work is necessary. As centuries-old practice shows, it is much easier to break than to build. Our foreign opponents have perfectly mastered this postulate. Who needs Nord Streams? First of all, Germany, which, thanks to this channel, will be able not only to increase stable purchases of relatively cheap Russian “blue fuel”, but also to resell hydrocarbons to other European countries. Russia is ready to supply gas to European countries through the surviving pipe of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Meanwhile, as Vladimir Putin rightly noted, the current leadership of Germany is guided not by national economic gain but by the political interests of the collective West.