TASS reported that, in the face of the complete blockade of Russian gas supplies through Ukraine from January 1, 2025, German MP Sevim Dagdelen called on the Berlin government to reopen the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and stop financial aid to Kiev, criticizing that Ukraine itself is pushing up energy prices and weakening the European economy.
In a post on X network, Ms. Sevim Dagdelen - a member of the German Parliament (Bundestag) of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance for Reason and Justice - strongly criticized: "Ukraine's suspension of Russian gas shipments to Europe is pushing energy prices even higher. The German government and the EU seem to be happy to witness the destruction of European industry because of the high cost of energy."
"It's time to reopen Nord Stream! Stop giving cash to Kiev!", Ms. Dagdelen stressed.
From January 1, 2025, gas supplies from Russia through the Ukrainian pipeline system officially stopped after Kiev refused to extend the transit agreement. According to Russian oil and gas giant Gazprom, this decision made it impossible for the company to continue supplying gas through Ukraine due to technical and legal barriers.
As a result, the gas flow to Austria, Italy, Moldova, Slovakia and the Czech Republic via Ukraine was completely cut off, increasing energy pressure on Europe in the context of skyrocketing gas prices.
The Nord Stream 2 project, which was completed but frozen after the Russia-Ukraine conflict, is seen by many analysts as a potential solution to relieve energy pressure on Europe. However, reopening Nord Stream 2 is not only a technical issue but also a sensitive political decision.
As Europe faces a harsh winter and rising gas prices, Dagdelen's call to reopen Nord Stream 2 could spark a major debate in Germany and across Europe.
In another development, according to TASS estimates based on data from Russia's Gazprom and the European Network of Gas Transmission System Operators (ENTSOG), Russia has increased its pipeline gas supplies to Europe by 14% in 2024 compared to the previous year, to 32.1 billion cubic meters.
In 2023, Russian pipeline gas supplies to Europe will reach about 28.15 billion cubic meters.
In particular, gas supplies to Western and Central European countries via Ukraine will reach 15.4 billion cubic meters in 2024, an increase of 6% compared to 2023.
Gas supplies to Southern and Southeastern European countries via the TurkStream pipeline will increase by 23% to 16.7 billion cubic meters by 2024. In December 2024 alone, Russian gas exports to Europe via this route increased by 3% compared to November.
In addition, according to data from the Turkish Energy Market Authority, Russian pipeline gas supplies to the country could reach around 20 billion cubic meters by 2024.
In total, Russian pipeline gas supplies to Europe (including Türkiye) could reach around 52 billion cubic meters in 2024 compared to 49 billion cubic meters in 2023.
