Gazprom halts gas supplies to Latvia

Bloomberg

The Russian gas producer Gazprom PJSC halted supplies to Latvia, saying the Baltic nation had “violated the conditions” of its purchases. Flows were cut off, Gazprom said in a statement on Telegram, without
providing details.
Latvian operator Latvijas Gaze said it would continue to purchase Russian gas through an intermediary. The company said it wouldn’t be buying gas directly from Gazprom, and would pay in euros, not rubles.
Gazprom has been reducing deliveries to Europe in recent months. Customers,
including Poland, Bulgaria, Finland, Denmark and Netherlands, were cut off after refusing to comply with Kremlin’s demand to pay in rubles for pipeline gas. Russia has also been sending less gas via Ukraine, and via the Nord Stream link to Germany, due to a spat with Siemens Energy AG over gas turbines.
In 2021, about 90% of the gas purchased by Latvia was from Russia, Kommersant says. In June, Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said that his country don’t intend to continue the imports. It plans to ban Russian gas from 2023.
Gazprom PJSC once again blamed Siemens Energy AG for the fact that turbines aren’t operating as they should on the Nord Stream gas pipeline to Europe.
While Kremlin insiders admit Gazprom could be piping more gas, the company set out what it said were challenges to getting the machines working. Siemens has dismissed Gazprom’s criticisms, saying the equipment maintenance should be routine.
The dispute also illustrates the complications for the European Union, which is racing to secure supplies and stave off a recession amid an energy crisis.