Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the gas flow via the Nord Stream would remain problematic until Western sanctions are dropped.

"Pumping problems arose because of sanctions imposed against our country and several companies by Western states, including Germany and the UK. There are no other reasons that would lead to problems with pumping," Interfax quotes Peskov.

Peskov said that only one gas compressor still operates, "and it misbehaves and needs maintenance, which leads to pumping issues."

"Considering that the sanctions are still in force, considering that they bring absolute confusion, legal, practical, to everything related to the maintenance of all compressors and assemblies, then, for now, our hopes rest on this single compressor that it will be somehow possible to put it in order," he added.

Peskov was asked whether the issue of gas flowing in the Nord Stream depends entirely on sanctions and whether supplies will resume if these sanctions are lifted or eased.

"Of course, the same sanctions that prevent the compressors from maintenance, from being moved without proper legal guarantees, that prevent these legal guarantees and so on, these sanctions imposed by Western countries have brought the situation to what we see now," he said.

On Friday, Gazprom announced the indefinite closure indefinite shutdown of the Nord Stream pipeline to Germany, officially for technical reasons.

The European Commission called Gazprom's announcement "another confirmation of its unreliability as a supplier" and "proof of Russia's cynicism."

The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on September 2 that it was time to impose a price cap on Russian pipeline gas to Europe.