Kremlin: Europe puts obstacles in the way of Gazprom's activities

Kremlin on Thursday accused the European Union of putting obstacles in the way of Russian energy company Gazprom's (MCX:GAZP) operations as Russia's natural gas exports decline and the crucial Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline is closed for maintenance.

Gazprom Chief Executive Alexei Miller said on Wednesday that Western sanctions were to blame for Siemens Energy's failure to carry out regular maintenance of equipment on the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, which is currently closed for three days of maintenance. Asked if there was a risk of a complete shutdown of the pipeline, which is the main route for Russian gas exports to Europe, Peskov said this question should be addressed to Siemens Energy and Gazprom. "You know that the manufacturer is Siemens, this is a very high-tech equipment and there are not many companies in the world that can service it," he said. "Gazprom is ready and willing to fulfill its obligations, but legal and technical obstacles have been created on the European side that prevent Gazprom from working." The Kremlin said Western sanctions against Russia in retaliation for its military action in Ukraine were preventing Gazprom from exporting full gas to Europe. Siemens Energy, which normally services the turbines, said on Wednesday it was not involved in maintenance work carried out by Gazprom at a compressor station. Follow Global Economic Developments on Social Media! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Facebook account! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Instagram account! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Twitter account!