Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Moscow is ready to resume gas supplies to Europe via a link of the Germany-bound Nord Stream 2 pipeline under the Baltic Sea, according to AP News.
Speaking at a Moscow energy forum, Putin again charged that the U.S. was likely behind the explosions that ripped through both links of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline and one of the two links of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, causing a massive gas leak and taking them out of service.
The U.S. has previously rejected similar allegations by Putin. Several European governments said the undersea explosions that ripped through both Nord Stream pipelines were likely caused by sabotage but stopped short of assigning blame.
The Russian leader has repeatedly taunted the West by raising the prospect of sending gas through Nord Stream 2, a political nonstarter for the German government and others.
Reaffirming a claim that he made last week, Putin said that the attack on the pipelines was launched by those who wanted to weaken Europe by halting the flow of cheap gas from Russia.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline has never brought natural gas to Europe because Germany prevented the flows from ever starting just before Russia launched military action in Ukraine on February 24.
Putin said that one of the two links of the Nord Stream 2 has remained pressurized and appears to be ready for service, adding that its capacity stands at 27 billion cubic meters a year. He noted that if checks prove that the pipeline is safe to operate, Russia stands ready to use it to pump gas to Europe.
The Russian leader also said that Russia could increase the capacity of its gas exports to Turkey and eventually turn into a hub for gas supplies to Europe.