Leaks in Nord Stream gas pipeline The European Union’s top diplomat said on Wednesday, joining a growing chorus of European leaders speaking of the act of sabotage.
Three separate leaks first discovered on Monday in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines from Russia to Germany “are not a coincidence and affect all of us,” Josep Borrell said. Fontelles, the EU’s high representative for foreign and security affairs, said: in a statement on Wednesday.
He added that Brussels will support an investigation and will “take further steps to increase our resilience in energy security.”
European officials were deeply alarmed by the pipeline rupture, which would not immediately affect Europe’s energy supplies, but highlighted the vulnerability of energy infrastructure. of this continent. Top leaders of Poland and Ukraine have blamed Moscow for the leak, while Russian state media has suggested US or Ukraine involvement.
“Any intentional disruption of Europe’s energy infrastructure is completely unacceptable and will be met with a strong and unified response,” Mr. Borrell said. Resounding comments a warning posted on Twitter on Tuesday night by Ursula von der Leyen, chair of the EU’s executive body, calling the leak an “act of sabotage”, adding that conducting an investigation was “of paramount importance”. The European Union does not have formal investigative powers, but officials say they will support investigations conducted by national authorities.
On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri S. Peskov called accusations of Russian involvement “predictably stupid and absurd” and pointed the finger at the United States, saying the US natural gas suppliers are seeing “huge profits” from supplying gas to Europe. .
Military and security experts have warned for years about the danger posed by so-called mixed warfare, which means the potential to undermine democratic functions, disrupt normal life and sow sprinkle chaos and instability. The leaks are a reminder of how vulnerable systems can be to outside attacks.
As Europe prepares to enter winter, the immediate impact of the leak on its energy supply is expected to be limited: Both pipelines are filled with gas, but Nord Stream 2 was not authorized to operate and Nord Stream 1 has in fact been cut since August by Gazprom, the Kremlin-controlled energy giant.
But the leaks have exacerbated Europe’s anxiety in the escalating energy war with Russia. Since invading Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir V. Putin has toyed with the continent’s energy supplies, turning off the taps and escalating tensions in response to European support for Ukraine.
The extent of the damage became apparent on Tuesday, the official opening date of the Baltic Pipe project, a new gas pipeline that transports fuel from Norway via Denmark to Poland, built as part of the project. in the European Union’s plan to detox. Russian fossil fuels.
Nord Stream
1 and 2 . pipes
(approximate route)
Both the Danish and Polish leaders said the timing was not a coincidence. Swedish seismologists said they detected large explosions on the seabed on Monday near the leak site, and President Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, called the incident “” obvious vandalism”.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland said: “The Baltic Pipeline is the opposite of what serves Putin’s war plans, the opposite of Nord Stream I and Nord Stream II,” said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland. “We don’t know the details of what happened yet, but we can clearly see that it was an act of vandalism. An action perhaps marks the next stage in the escalation of this situation in Ukraine.”
The Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, echoed that sentiment. “It’s hard to imagine that it was a coincidence,” she told reporters, while declining to blame.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said on Wednesday that Finnish authorities would investigate “all movements of ships in the Baltic Sea and try to find out what kind of movement took place.” in the vicinity of pipelines”.
He told the newspaper: “There are various possibilities, but the magnitude of this action is such that there is no doubt some of the people behind the government are behind it. Helsingin Sanomat. “This is all I can say about it at the moment.”
