According to a letter dated July 14 and obtained by reporters on Monday, Russia’s Gazprom has declared force majeure on gas deliveries to Europe to at least one significant customer.
According to the letter, “exceptional” circumstances beyond Gazprom’s control prevented it from meeting its supply obligations. Gazprom maintains a monopoly on Russian gas exports by pipeline.
The letter, according to a trading source, was about supplies going through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, a crucial supply route to Germany and beyond.
Gazprom was unable to comment right away.
Russia and the West’s dispute over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow refers to as a “special military operation,” are expected to worsen if Russia invokes force majeure, the legal defense used when a company is harmed by circumstances beyond its control.
The European Union, which has sanctioned Moscow, intends to continue utilizing Russian fossil fuels while transitioning away from Russian supply until 2027.
Russian gas exports have decreased along several important routes, notably through the Baltic Sea, Ukraine, Belarus, and Nord Stream 1.
Currently, Nord Stream 1 is undergoing maintenance.
