Scholz Accuses Russia of ‘Blackmail’ Over Pipeline Shutdown
- Gazprom ‘could deliver gas if it wanted,’ German leader says
- Europe must fast become independent of ‘unreliable supplier’
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Chancellor Olaf Scholz accused Russia of seeking to blackmail Germany and its European partners by shutting off gas deliveries and dismissed an apparent leak in a key pipeline as “pretense.”
“Russia could deliver if it wanted to,” Scholz said Wednesday, according to prepared remarks for a speech to parliament in Berlin. Gazprom PJSC simply needs to request a turbine for the Nord Stream 1 link that is in western Germany and ready for use after repairs, he added.