In October last year, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Josep Borrell said that Gazprom was manipulating gas prices on the European market in order to achieve Europe’s decision to launch the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
At the same time, the finance ministers of Greece, Spain, Romania, the Czech Republic and France issued a joint statement in which they called on the European Union to investigate the gas market, and also asked to develop tools “for an immediate response to a significant increase in prices.”
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At the same time, the European Commission said that they see no signs of manipulation of the gas market by Russia. The increase in electricity prices is primarily due to global demand for gas, which is growing as the economic recovery accelerates, it noted.
Gazprom itself has repeatedly denied allegations of price manipulation. According to the official representative of the concern, Sergei Kupriyanov, such accusations are groundless and unacceptable, “in other words, lies and lies.” In turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the rise in gas prices in Europe was the result of a shortage of electricity, and not vice versa. “There is no need, as they say, to shift from a sick head to a healthy one,” he said.