Vladimir Putin blames the west for power market disruptions | Europe

Vladimir Putin has blamed the west for disruptions to the power market and spiralling heating prices, claiming that determined Europeans had begun to fill up on firewood forward of the chilly winter months.

The Russian president has sought to deflect blame for the oil and fuel disaster sparked by his invasion of Ukraine, and tried to stress European governments to drop sanctions towards Moscow.

“Abnormal Europeans are struggling,” the Russian president instructed an power discussion board in Moscow on Wednesday, “the inhabitants, like within the center ages, has begun to fill up on firewood for the winter”.

To Putin’s anger, main world economies are discussing a cap on Russian oil costs. “[With] their cavalier selections,” he mentioned, “some western politicians are destroying the worldwide market economic system and are the truth is posing a menace to the wellbeing of billions of individuals”.

On the identical convention, the top of the Russian state-owned fuel monopoly provider Gazprom warned that Europe may freeze this winter.

“Winter will be comparatively heat, however one week and even 5 days will probably be abnormally chilly and it’s attainable that complete cities and lands, God forbid, will freeze,” Alexey Miller mentioned.

Worldwide concern over power provides was additional heightened on Wednesday after a leak was reported on the Druzhba oil pipeline in Poland, which hyperlinks Russia and Germany.

“The reason for the incident isn’t identified for the second. Pumping within the affected line was instantly stopped. Line 2 of the pipeline is functioning usually,” the Polish operator Pern mentioned.

Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, mentioned it’s too early to say whether or not the leak was unintended harm or brought on by sabotage.

“Many steps level straight to the Kremlin, however we need to be very accountable and solely then affirm our assumptions,” he instructed Polish state-owned radio broadcaster PR3.

The incident comes after 4 leaks have been found within the undersea Nord Stream fuel pipelines from Russia to Germany firstly of October, inflicting worldwide alarm and claims of sabotage.

German authorities have mentioned they consider that extremely explosive detonations have been used. The EU, Nato and the governments of Poland, Sweden and Denmark have all mentioned they consider the leaks have been brought on intentionally.

The leak in Poland on an underground section of the Druzhba pipeline was detected late on Tuesday close to the village of Żurawice about 110 miles to the west of Warsaw.

A Pern spokesperson, Katarzyna Krasińska, instructed AFP that firefighters have been pumping out the spilled oil, “which may take a number of hours”.

The Russian oil pipeline operator, Transneft, mentioned its Polish counterpart had notified it of the leak. “Sure, we acquired a message … We’ve got no info as to how lengthy it would take to restore the harm,” the Transneft vice-president, Sergei Andronov, mentioned, in accordance with the Interfax information company. “From their finish for the time being, oil continues to be accepted,” he added.

The pipeline primarily provides two refineries in Schwedt and Leuna in Germany. The Schwedt refinery, which is near the Polish border and provides 90% of the oil consumed in Berlin and the encompassing area, together with Berlin-Brandenburg worldwide airport, is the topic of a dispute over its administration and management.

Poland has mentioned it would cease supplying the refinery, which is majority owned by Rosneft, except the Russian agency is eliminated as a shareholder.

Final month, the German authorities mentioned it had taken management of the refinery – and the opposite German operations of Rosneft – to safe power provides. It put Rosneft Deutschland underneath a trusteeship of the German business regulator, however Rosneft nonetheless holds 54% of the corporate’s shares.

Schwedt beforehand acquired most of its crude from Russia, and Berlin is now seeking to different nations for provides.

The Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline community was began within the Sixties and covers 3,400 miles, pumping oil from the Urals to Europe by two primary branches through Belarus and Ukraine.