Donald Trump on Wednesday shared a video of President Joe Biden warning that he could try to “stop” the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in early February if Russia invades Ukraine. The same video was used by the Kremlin to suggest that Biden was behind the recent leaks
The US government has denied “absurd” allegations that it was behind a gas leak in the Baltic Sea on Wednesday.
It comes as Donald Trump suggested “World War III” might be near while sharing video of President Joe Biden threatening to shut down Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
Mysterious and alarming leaks were found in both Nord Stream pipelines this week, prompting the European Union to describe it as the result of a “deliberate act”.
The Kremlin has already faced several accusations amid ever-growing hostilities over its illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Moscow is pointing the finger at the United States, saying Washington is “obliged” to explain its alleged role in the “sabotage.”
A US official denied the allegations, according to the Washington Post. has reached out to the White House for comment.
Trump also appeared to support Russia’s theory on Wednesday, when he posted on his Truth Social app a video of Biden from earlier in February promising to “terminate” Nord Stream 2 if Vladimir Putin’s forces invade Ukraine.
“Wow, what a statement. Someone from World War III?” Trump wrote along with the video.
The same video was also shared by the Russian government on Wednesday, which suggested Biden was behind the blasts that led to the leaks in the Baltic Sea.
Asked for clarification on his position, Trump’s spokesman Taylor Budowich said: “The statements speak for themselves.”
He also referred to a previous post in which Trump offered to lead Russia-Ukraine negotiations while warning current US leaders not to “make matters worse.”
“US ‘leadership’ should remain ‘cool, calm and dry’ on SABOTAGE of the Nord Stream pipelines. This is a big event that shouldn’t lead to a big resolution, at least not yet,” the former president wrote.
“The catastrophe between Russia and Ukraine should NEVER have happened and definitely would not have happened if I had been President. Don’t make matters worse by blowing up the pipeline.’
Explosions preceded three gas leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines in Europe’s Baltic Sea
Biden said on February 7, 2022 that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which he waived sanctions on, could be stopped if Russia invaded Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his brutal attack later that month. His government has been informally accused of being behind the pipeline leaks
He ended with: “Be strategic, be smart (brilliant!), make a negotiated deal NOW. Both sides need and want it. The whole world is at stake. I will lead the group???’
And just before that, Trump compared the gas leak from the pipelines to the potentially devastating storm heading towards the state of Florida. He said Hurricane Ian was not as “important” as the damage to Europe’s waters.
“Everyone is talking about the great hurricane hitting Florida as it should be, but perhaps a far more important event in the longer term was the announcement that the Nord Stream I & II pipelines from Russia were…SABOTED.” he wrote in the earliest of the three posts.
‘This could lead to a major escalation or war!’
In that statement, Trump also said he brought the pipelines “to the world’s attention as President when I explained how crippling it could be for Germany and other parts of Europe to rely on them.”
“Everybody laughed back then, but now they don’t laugh anymore!” he wrote.
During his presidency, Trump approved sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline between Germany and Russia, which was nearing completion when the penalties were imposed in December 2019.
Trump captioned his February comments on Biden’s renewed truth: “Wow, what a statement. Someone from World War III?”
He also volunteered to chair US negotiations to resolve the Russia-Ukraine crisis
Trump’s earliest of the three Nord Stream posts Wednesday morning appeared to compare the leaks to Hurricane Ian
Biden waived US objections to the pipeline just months into his tenure in the White House.
But it was soon stopped again, this time by Germany, whose government canceled plans against Russia’s recognition of parts of eastern Ukraine as independent pro-Kremlin states.
Putin launched his invasion just days later.
Nord Stream 1 was also out of service due to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Although Nord Stream 2 was never commissioned, it was full of gas at the time it was shut down. Climate researchers fear the effects of the leak could be catastrophic.
Kremlin Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova shared Biden’s warnings in early February about stopping the pipeline, saying on social media, “Biden has an obligation to answer the question of whether the US has carried out its threat.”
“We must be responsible for our words,” the Putin puppet said, according to the Associated Press. “Europe needs to know the truth.”