The “gas hub” to Europe proposed by Putin makes “no sense”, according to Paris

The “gas hub” in Turkey proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin to export gas to Europe makes “no sense” as Europeans want to reduce their dependence on hydrocarbons from Russia, the French presidency said on Thursday.

“There is no sense for us to create new infrastructures that would allow us to import more Russian gas,” said the Elysée.

The EU is aiming for a “reduction of its dependencies”

Vladimir Putin proposed Thursday to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to create this “gas hub”, suggesting that it would allow Europeans to receive gas at less “exorbitant” prices.

“A few months ago, almost 40% of the gas delivered to the European Union came from Russia. Today this share of Russian gas is only 7.5% and it is still destined to decrease,” replied the French presidency.

“Russia and Turkey may decide together to export more gas, but it cannot be to the European Union, which has commitments to sovereignty, to reducing its dependencies and, moreover, to climate transition which are incompatible. with that kind of reasoning,” she added.

Reprise via Nord Stream

Vladimir Putin also assured on Wednesday that Moscow was ready to resume deliveries to Europe via the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

Russia stopped deliveries via Nord Stream 1 at the end of August, citing technical problems. Germany for its part renounced the commissioning of Nord Stream 2 at the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine.

At the end of September, four huge gas leaks also appeared on the two gas pipelines linking Russia to Germany, caused according to several countries by underwater detonations.