JRL NEWSWATCH: “Natural Gas Prices Fall on Putin Order for More Russian Exports” – Wall Street Journal
“The Russian president told the state energy giant to pump more fuel to Germany and Austria to ease a supply crunch.”
“… European gas prices are more than five times as high as they were a year ago even after Thursday’s slide, hurting consumers and holding back economies’ post-pandemic recoveries. The continent’s stores of gas [reportedly] are 15% below the average for the time of year …. European and U.S. officials say the Kremlin is trying to pressure Europe into approving a controversial pipeline — the Nord Stream 2, which will connect Russia to Germany and bypass Ukraine — by holding back gas. Moscow has denied the accusations, and some analysts say Russia is simply behind on injecting gas into storage sites at home before its own winter chill arrives. …”