A Kremlin spokesperson says a significant drop in gas supplies to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline is due to Western sanctions against Russia.

Dmitry Peskov said in a statement on Monday that Russia is ready to supply gas. But he said, "from a technological point of view, the physical infrastructure of this pipeline is affected by the sanctions imposed by the European Union."

Peskov said turbines used by the pipeline were sent to a German company for repairs, but the firm refused to return them. He said, "this is a man-made crisis, it was created by the EU."

The recent announcement by Russian gas giant Gazprom that it would significantly reduce supplies through the pipeline rattled gas buyers in Europe.