Cloud of suspicion hangs over Europe on Nord Stream leaks
As countries rush to speculate on the cause of the unusual leak of the Nord Stream pipeline from Russia to Europe, some blame Russia, while others suggest the involvement of the United States and its allies. China watchers warn of the Ukraine crisis and its implications for global energy markets.
Two leaks from a Russian gas pipeline running under the Baltic Sea to Germany have no immediate impact on European energy supplies, but China watchers say they will have a major blow to some European countries, including Germany, which is heading into a cold winter in the middle of an energy crisis, and could energy prices and will cause further volatility and further Western hostility toward Russia, they say.
Such an anomaly could trigger a chain reaction, adding more real risks to the Ukraine crisis and plunging the tug-of-war between major powers into dangerous uncertainty, they warned.
According to media reports, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borel said on Wednesday that he believes the leak of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines is “not a coincidence” but the result of a deliberate act. The comments came after the Danish military released a video on Tuesday showing foam surging into the surface of the Baltic Sea above the pipelines in two undersea leaks that began on Monday.
The Financial Times reported Wednesday that Denmark, Germany, Poland, and other countries warned of “devastation” after the leak of the Nord Stream pipeline, which has been at the center of the energy struggle between Russia and Europe since Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine. It also quoted Mykhailo Podlyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as saying that the leak was “nothing but a terrorist attack orchestrated by Russia and an act of aggression against the EU.”
According to TASS, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not rule out the possibility that the shutdown of the two pipelines was sabotage. He stressed, “Of course, this is a matter of energy security for the entire European continent.”
However, former Polish Defense Minister Radek Sikorski tweeted, “Thank you, America,” blaming the U.S. for the sabotage.
The Nord Stream pipeline spill comes at a very sensitive time. It happened on the last day of a referendum on “accession to Russia” in four Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.
According to the Financial Times, the pipeline leak coincided with the completion of the first pipeline to carry gas from Norway to Poland via Denmark.
A video of U.S. President Joe Biden promising in February that he would stop the operation of Nord Stream 2 if Russia began military action in Ukraine also went viral on social networking sites on Wednesday.” If Russia invades, there will be no Nord Stream 2. We will put an end to it.”
While European leaders support an investigation into the leak, China watchers say that given the interests of those involved, the case could be a mystery forever. Some say the U.S. should be the culprit, but the involvement of some intelligence agencies and regional commands cannot be ruled out. This is because the incident will weaken the role of Russian energy in the European market, complicate the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, and bring an even more disastrous winter for the already troubled European countries.
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