Reduced Russian gas flow is political, German official says

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s vice chancellor says Russia’s announcement that it would reduce natural gas flows through a key European pipeline by roughly 40% appears to be a political move rather than a result of technical problems. Russia’s state-controlled energy giant Gazprom also told Italian gas giant Eni that it would reduce gas through a different pipeline by roughly 15% on Wednesday. The reason for the reduction isn’t clear. Gazprom said Tuesday that deliveries through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Europe would drop after Canadian sanctions over the war in Ukraine prevented German partner Siemens Energy from delivering overhauled equipment. Germany’s Robert Habeck cast doubt on whether that accounts for the extent of the drop in deliveries.