Andrei Kelin told a BBC show with Andrew Marr that Russia was waiting for a go-ahead from Germany to start pumping natural gas under the Baltic Sea. The undersea pipeline was completed last month.
Asked whether Russia would send more gas westward through Ukraine, Kelin said that deliveries via that route had exceeded contractual obligations by 10% and a further increase could damage the pipeline.
In this April 9, 2010 file photo, a Russian construction worker speaks on a mobile phone in Portovaya Bay some 170 km (106 miles) northwest of St. Petersburg, Russia, during a ceremony marking the start of construction for the Nord Stream pipeline.
© AP Photo / Dmitry Lovetsky
He denied claims that Russia was trying to choke off gas flow through other pipelines to force Germany to allow Nord Stream 2 to start operations. He said any suggestions that Russia was using gas for political leverage were absurd.
Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Gazprom, Royal Dutch Shell, OMV, Engie, Uniper, and Wintershall. The project is designed to carry natural gas from Russia to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea. On 10 September, Russia's Gazprom announced that the construction of the pipeline was completed.