Europe has itself to blame for gas crisis – Erdogan

The Turkish leader says European countries will face a tough winter this year

The upcoming winter may turn out to be a tough one for European states and they themselves are to blame for it, warned Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a press conference in Ankara on Tuesday.

The Turkish leader told journalists that “Europe is reaping what it sows” when it comes to the natural gas shortages plaguing the region and that the countries’ attitude towards Russian President Vladimir Putin and the sweeping sanctions imposed on Moscow are to blame for the current crisis.

“I think that Europe will spend this winter with serious problems. Turkey, at this stage, has no such problems with gas supplies,” Erdogan noted.

Erdogan’s statement comes after Moscow warned of a looming “huge global storm” caused by the “illogical and often absurd” moves by Western nations.

In a statement on Monday, the Kremlin noted that the sanctions imposed by the US, EU and other countries on Russia have backfired and resulted in a sweeping energy crisis as well as record inflation across the West.

Natural gas prices jumped a staggering 30% on Monday after Russia’s Nord Stream 1 pipeline failed to resume operations due to sanctions-related maintenance issues. Russia’s energy giant Gazprom, which operates the pipeline, said the gas route would remain shut indefinitely after an inspection found technical problems with the main turbine.

Moscow claims that the only thing preventing the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from working at full capacity are the Western-imposed sanctions, while Gazprom has also warned that the anti-Russian restrictions are hindering regular maintenance on the pipeline’s equipment.

European leaders have been accusing Moscow of using energy supplies as a geopolitical weapon, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has stated that Russia can no longer be considered a reliable energy partner.