Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia could divert the gas it transports through Nord Stream pipelines to the Black Sea to create a major European gas hub in Turkey or even use the only intact part of Nord Stream 2 to supply the EU, Reuters reported.

An investigation is underway into last month’s explosions that ruptured Russia’s Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Putin said the pipelines could be repaired, but their fate was up to Russia and Europe to decide.

“We could move the volumes lost by the Nord Stream flows from the bottom of the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea region and thus make the main supply routes of our fuel, our natural gas, to Europe through Turkey, creating the largest gas hub. for Europe in Turkey,” Putin said.

“This is, of course, if our partners are interested in it. And (depends on) economic feasibility, of course,” he added.

Putin also said that Russian gas could still be delivered to Europe via the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which remains intact, but that the ball is now in the EU’s court as to whether it wants that to happen. Three out of four Nord Stream gas pipelines are damaged.

Only one strand of Nord Stream-2 is operating, the annual capacity of which is 27.5 billion cubic meters. Russia, Putin said, can close the gas taps on this line if Europe wants it.

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