What happens if Russia turns off Europe’s gas?

Today in Focus

The Guardian

Daily News, News

4.6 • 5.7K Ratings

🗓️ 27 July 2022

⏱️ 27 minutes

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Summary

Russia is threatening to cut off its gas supply to Europe, which would force up prices and choke the continent’s economy. But could it backfire on Vladimir Putin? Dan Boffey and Alex Lawson report. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the Guardian.
0:08.4	Today, it has Vladimir Putin launched a gas war against Europe.
0:15.9	Russia's war on Ukraine is being fought with guns and fast jets and shells.
0:31.3	Moscow has another weapon in its arsenal.
0:34.4	We start a new crane where President Vladimir Zelensky is accused Russia of waging a gas war against Europe.
0:40.8	The conflict in Ukraine and the sanctions on Russia have led to another surge in the cost of oil and gas.
0:47.0	I think it's funny because most of us think gas is turning on the hub.
0:50.8	We don't really think about where it comes from or how it's got there.
0:54.8	More than a third of all the gas used in Europe comes from Russia.
0:59.8	Used to heat homes and power factories in Germany, Italy, France, and across the continent.
1:05.8	We've long been concerned about Russia using energy as a tool of coercion and a political weapon.
1:11.6	We've seen it happen before and we could see it happen again.
1:14.8	Putin knows Europe needs the gas and he holds the cards.
1:19.4	Russian President Vladimir Putin says that starting from Friday, foreign buyers must pay for gas in the Russian currency.
1:26.4	Today, I've signed a decree today that sets the rules of the Russian natural gas trade with so-called unfriendly states.
1:35.5	And over the past two weeks he started squeezing supply to Europe's biggest pipeline.
1:41.0	Fears of a winter without gas in Europe as Russian energy giant gasprom begins its summer maintenance program.
1:48.9	The Russian firm gasprom announced it would be further cutting gas supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany to 20%.
1:56.8	That is half the current rate.
1:58.8	The most important pipeline that we're talking about here is the Nord Stream 1 which is this vast nearly 1000 km pipeline that goes underneath the Baltic Sea arriving in northern Germany where it travels on its way there to businesses and homes across Europe.
2:17.2	The flow of gas through one of the continent's key energy lifelines was last week reduced to 40% of its capacity.
2:24.6	And then today, down to 20%. Russia says it's all routine. It just needs to make repairs. But Europe doesn't see it that way.
	...

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