The news was reported by the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Pipes at the landfall facilities of the 'Nord Stream 1' gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022.Image source, Reuters

Russia has been accused of starting a gas war against Europe and cutting supplies.

The company said it is reducing gas flows into Germany to allow work on a turbine.

Zelensky said this was gas blackmail against Europe.

The Nord Stream 1 has been running below capacity for a long time.

Europe was worried that shipments wouldn't resume after Russia's biggest European line was shut down for 10 days.

Five days ago, shipments resumed at a reduced capacity. On Monday, Gazprom said it would cut its gas supply again.

It said it needed to cut gas supply in order to carry out maintenance. There was no technical reason for limiting the supply according to the German government.

"Gas blackmail of Europe, which only gets worse every month, is needed by a terrorist state to make the life of every European worse," said Mr Zelensky.

He said it was intended to make it difficult for Europe to prepare for winter, without any help for the poor.

Russia has been accused of using energy as a weapon by the EU.

Pressure on EU countries to reduce their dependence on Russian gas is likely to increase due to the reduction in flows.

European energy ministers hope to sign off on a response to the crisis on Tuesday.

The European Commission wants member states to cut gas consumption by 15%. The commission could make it mandatory in an emergency if they wanted to.

The EU capitals are under a lot of pressure to reach an agreement.

The possibility of Russia cutting off gas supplies to the EU was previously said to be a likely scenario.

The price of gas at the wholesale level has gone up since Russia invaded Ukraine.

The price hike is blamed on Western sanctions, but the Kremlin insists it is not responsible for the recent gas supply disruptions.

Grain exports from the Black Sea ports could resume within days, as a result of a landmark deal brokered by the UN.

The agreement will work if the side guarantees security. It will not work if they don't do it.

President Zelensky said in his address that he was certain that grain exports from Ukraine would start again this week.

His comments came after he was concerned that the deal would fall apart.

The Russian navy controls most of the Black Sea so as many as 20 million tonnes of grain are stuck in Ukraine.

Media caption,

Hours after a grain deal, the Ukrainian port was hit by explosions.

  • Russia-Ukraine war
  • Gazprom
  • Russia
  • European Union
  • Ukraine
  • Natural gas