KEY POINTS
  • European piped natural gas supply from Russia has slowed in recent weeks, raising questions about the potential causes behind the drop and its implications for global gas markets.
  • It comes shortly after German Chancellor Angela Merkel sought to ease long-running concerns about the nearly completed Nord Stream 2 pipeline, saying further sanctions may be imposed if Moscow used gas "as a weapon."
  • Some analysts have suggested Gazprom, Russia's state-owned gas giant, may be limiting its delivery of discretionary natural gas supply to Europe to support its case in starting flows via Nord Stream 2.
A facility near the starting point of the Nord Stream 2 offshore natural gas pipeline.

LONDON — Russia has slowed the delivery of piped natural gas to Europe in recent weeks, according to analysis from ICIS, a commodity intelligence service, raising questions about the potential causes behind the drop and its implications for global gas markets.

It comes shortly after German Chancellor Angela Merkel sought to ease long-running concerns about the nearly completed Nord Stream 2 pipeline, saying further sanctions may be imposed if Moscow used gas "as a weapon."