The logo of the energy company Gazprom is seen on a plant of the Russian state-owned corporation in Saint Petersburg. Stringer/dpa Russian energy giant Gazprom has said it is continuing to deliver large quantities of gas to Europe despite the ongoing war in Ukraine. The daily delivery volume on Wednesday remained the contractually agreed 109.5 million cubic metres, Gazprom spokesperson Sergei Kupriyanov told the Interfax news agency. Demand from European customers had risen significantly, he said, as well as prices. Russia has always maintained that it can be relied on as an energy supplier, even in times of crisis. However, due to the sanctions imposed by the West and the debate within the EU over how best to break free from Russian gas and oil, on Monday Moscow threatened for the first time to stop gas deliveries through the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline to Germany. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis proposed the temporary regulation of the gas market and a Europe-wide cap on wholesale prices to the European Commission on Wednesday. While neither production capacity nor supply chains had been affected by the Ukraine crisis so far, Kyriakos said, "This means that we do not have a problem of quantity, but of price." The market needed to be regulated, at least temporarily, Mitsotakis recommended, presenting a six-point plan that included a daily price corridor of plus-or-minus 10% to prevent extreme fluctuations. On Tuesday, the European Commission presented its own plan for reducing EU dependence on Russian gas and protecting Europe from high energy prices. The plan also provides for EU states to temporarily regulate consumer prices to protect households and small businesses, though it did not include the cap on wholesale prices Mitsotakis is calling for.
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