Gazprom said Friday that it would postpone restarting the flow of natural gas through a closely watched pipeline that connects Russia to Germany, an unexpected delay that appeared to be part of a larger struggle between Moscow and the West over energy and the war in Ukraine.
The Russian-owned energy giant had been expected to resume the flow of gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline on Saturday after three days of maintenance. But hours before the pipeline was set to reopen, Gazprom said that problems had been found during inspections and that the pipeline would be closed until they were eliminated. It did not give a timeline for restarting.
