Claims That Gazprom Cut Gas Supply to EU on Purpose ‘Absurd’ as Exports Increased – Expert

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Gazprom cannot be blamed for the ongoing energy crisis in the European Union, as the Russian gas giant actually increased its supplies to the bloc in 2021, Mamdouh Salameh, an international energy economist and visiting professor of energy economics at the ESCP Europe Business School in London, told Sputnik.

The economist criticized what he described as a "ploy" by a group of EU lawmakers, "who are most probably representatives of Polish and Baltic states," to have the gas supplier investigated for the alleged manipulation of gas prices.

"However, the truth is that Russia’s gas giant Gazprom has fulfilled its contractual obligations to the EU, and no one in Europe is disputing that. In fact, Gazprom’s gas exports to the EU rose by 23% between January and July this year. These figures prove the absurdity of accusing Gazprom of supply shortage," Salameh said.

He added that "if the EU misjudged the gas market and didn’t order more Russian gas, it can’t blame Gazprom for this."

In September, over forty members of the European Parliament co-signed and sent a letter to the European Commission asking for an investigation into a recent increase in gas prices on the EU market, and the possible role of the bloc's main gas supplier, Gazprom.