Russian lawmaker says Europe can resolve the energy crisis 'they have created for themselves' by lifting sanctions and restarting Nord Stream 2

• Europe's energy crisis is self-inflicted, a Russian lawmaker said.
• He said that Europe could lift sanctions on Russia and restart the dormant Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Europe has the power to resolve its energy crisis, a Russian politician said on Friday, advising the European Union to lift its 'illegal' sanctions on Russia and restart the dormant Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

The sister pipeline to Nord Stream 1 was finished in September of last year, but has yet to be certified by Germany and the European Union amid the sanctions imposed on Russia, Reuters reported.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, Europe has been relying on Nord Stream 1 for Russian gas flows, but Russia has slashed capacity to 20% and halted gas flows twice this summer for maintenance, leading some to fear that Russia will cut off Europe completely from its natural gas supplies this winter.

It's led to a scramble to find alternative supplies in Europe, driving a painful energy crisis for the EU. Russian politician Vyacheslav Volodin said in a recent statement on Telegram that the pain is self-inflicted, calling the energy crisis a situation European leaders "have created for themselves."

"The energy security of Europe without Russia is impossible," Volodin wrote, noting that the EU had two options: "The first one. Lift illegal sanctions against our country and launch Nord Stream 2. The second one. To leave everything as it is, which will lead to problems in the economy and make life even more difficult for citizens," he said, according to Reuters' translation.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnston accused Russia of weaponizing natural gas in retaliation to western sanctions at a press hearing on Wednesday, though he emphasized Europe would not back down from its support of Ukraine, with countries like Germany shifting away from Russian energy supplies entirely. Europe is also on track to meeting its natural gas storage targets this winter, a positive sign as countries try to get by without Russian energy flows.