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March 22, 2023 | 8:48 p.m
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Wednesday the US believes “an act of sabotage” caused explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea last year.
The multi-billion dollar pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 transport natural gas from Russia to Germany. Mysterious explosions in September last year caused major damage along both pipelines, allowing leaking natural gas to gush through the Baltic Sea.
“We still believe it was an act of sabotage,” Kirby told reporters during a White House news conference on Wednesday.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called the blasts an “act of sabotage.” Getty Images
Kirby stressed that the United States was “in no way involved,” contrary to some claims, including Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh, who in February accused US Navy divers of planting bombs along the pipeline.
When asked about the blasts earlier this month, Kirby said he did not want to prejudge investigations into the blasts being conducted by Germany, Sweden and Denmark.
“So I’m just not going to take this investigative work forward and would have to refer you to each of these European countries to comment on their investigations,” Kirby said at the time.
The explosions led to a massive natural gas leak in the Baltic Sea. DANISH DEFENSE/AFP via Getty Images Germany, Sweden and Denmark are conducting separate investigations into the cause of the underwater explosions. Trond Larsen/Expressen/TT/Shutterstock
The New York Times reported earlier this month that intelligence verified by US officials suggests a pro-Ukrainian group was responsible for the attacks, possibly in retaliation for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February.
US officials told the outlet that there was no evidence that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy or his top aides were involved, or that the Ukrainian government directed those who attacked the pipelines otherwise.
In September, President Biden called the gas leaks “a deliberate act of sabotage.”
“And now the Russians are pumping out disinformation and lies,” Biden told reporters at the time.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the West of sabotaging Russian-built natural gas pipelines after they were widely condemned by the West as a national security threat in the wake of the Russian invasion.
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