Associated Press
Putin warns EU that gas supplies could keep dwindling
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that the flow of Russian natural gas to European customers has dwindled due to the West’s own fault and warned that it could continue ebbing. Putin’s statement further cranked up pressure on the European Union, which fears Russia could cut off gas to wreak economic and political havoc in Europe in the winter. Speaking to Russian reporters in Tehran, where he attended the talks with the leaders of Iran and Turkey, Putin said the amount of gas pumped through the Nord Stream pipeline to Germany will fall further from 60 million to 30 million cubic meters a day, or about one fifth of its capacity, if a turbine isn’t quickly replaced.