Former President Donald Trump has hinted that the US was involved in the sabotage of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline that connects Russia with Germany. The channel was damaged in September last year, and a Swedish investigation found that the damage was deliberately caused by detonations.
In his first interview since he was charged with 34 felony counts by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Trump told Tucker Carlson he would not directly answer questions about the pipeline because he doesn’t want his response to reflect poorly on America. He would say however who he believed was not involved, and that was Russia.
While President Biden has not directly accused the Kremlin of responsibility, he did call the incident a “deliberate act of sabotage.”
There has been previous speculation that the US carried out the attack. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has directly blamed America and pointed to comments by US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland as evidence. When asked about the issue at a Senate hearing, Nuland said, “I am, and I think the administration is, very gratified to know that Nord Stream 2 is now, as you like to say, a hunk of metal at the bottom of the sea.” Lavrov said this proves that the Biden administration is pleased that the pipeline was damaged.
The US has openly opposed the pipeline because it means Europe relies too heavily on Russia. But the Biden administration said claims it was responsible are “preposterous.”
However, remarks made by Biden in February 2022 may lend weight to Russian claims. At a press conference in Washington, DC, Biden said the gas pipeline would be halted if Russia attacks Ukraine. “If Russia invades, that means tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine again, then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it,” he said. When asked how he would do this, the President simply replied, “I promise you, we’ll be able to do it.”
