Saturday 1 October 2022 09:18 PM Putin takes swipe at Giorgia Meloni by cutting off gas to Italy days after she ... trends now

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Russia's Gazprom suspended gas deliveries to Italy just days after new right-wing leader Giorgia Meloni publicly backed Ukraine.

The Italian energy giant Eni said they were informed that a transport problem in Austria meant the Russian gas supplier would not able to delivery any gas until at least Monday.

Giorgia Meloni, who will become Italy's new prime minister, previously said Putin 'threatens the security of the entire European continent' and that his annexation of four Ukrainian regions has 'no legal and political value'. 

Putin has been at loggerheads with European countries over the supply of natural gas and has been accused of using the flow of gas needed for energy in the region as an economic weapon.

Most of Russian gas delivered to Italy passes via Ukraine through the Trans Austria Gas Pipeline (TAG), to Tarvisio in northern Italy on the border with Austria.

Gazprom later in the day said in a statement that the transportation of Russian gas through Austria had been suspended 'due to the refusal of the Austrian operator to confirm the transport nominations'.

'The reason is related to the regulatory changes that took place in Austria at the end of September,' it added.

Tensions reached new highs this week after leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines linking Russia and Germany spewed tonnes of methane into the Baltic Sea.

The Danish Energy Agency now says one of two ruptured natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea appears to have stopped leaking natural gas.