The head of the International Energy Agency has accused Russia of cutting off gas supplies to Europe at a time of “increased geopolitical tensions”, suggesting that Moscow has created an energy crisis for political purposes, the Financial Times reports.
Fatih Birol said the agency, which represents major fossil fuel countries, believes Russia retains at least a third of the gas it can send to Europe, while draining Russian-controlled storage facilities on the continent to give the impression of limited delivery. “I would like to point out that today’s low Russian gas flows to Europe coincide with the increased geopolitical tensions around Ukraine. “Russia can increase supplies to Europe by at least a third – that’s the key message,” he said.
Birol’s comments focused for the first time on Russia’s role in the energy crisis at a time when households in the UK and Europe are preparing for a sharp increase in their bills as gas and electricity prices skyrocketed to record levels. Russia has long insisted on fulfilling all its long-term gas contracts with Europe, but has been accused by politicians and analysts of cutting off last year’s supplies by limiting spot sales that were once readily available.
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