Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the White House was already very worried about Nordstream 2 – the second Russian gas pipeline to reach Germany. Gas, cheaper, would supply 50 percent of Germany’s energy needs. It interested everyone but the United States.
The European Union was trying to find the middle path – that of autonomy. However, with the imminent war in Ukraine, he was forced to resign.
It has now been a year since, in a joint press conference with the German Chancellor, Biden said that if Russia invaded Ukraine, it would end Nordstream 2, “one way or another”.
The tone, confident and defiant, was not refuted by Olaf Scholz. From the American President’s facial expression, it was clear that he had already been given solutions.
In September 2022, the gas pipelines were sabotaged in a “terrorist act” still shrouded in mystery. Days later, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the “tremendous opportunity to remove, once and for all, dependence on Russian energy”.
Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, reinforced the same position: “I am and I think the Government is also very pleased to know that Nord Stream 2 is now (…) a piece of metal on the bottom of the sea”.
This position is extremely unfortunate in the face of a terrorist act; but it is also revealing of US interests. In contrast, there is no reason for Russia to sabotage its own operation.
Not to mention economic interests, the pipelines were extremely important for Moscow to regain influence in Europe.
Seymour Hersh, a veteran of American investigative journalism, who revealed the My Lai Massacre and covered the Watergate scandal, has now come forward to explain that it was the US that sabotaged Russian gas pipelines.
He was soon attacked for voicing a single anonymous source. But more than half a year after the explosion, there is still no culprit. Countries such as Sweden and Denmark, which have launched on-site investigations, have not yet shared conclusions.
It is imperative that the truth be verified. Acts of terrorism must be avoided in these gas pipelines, which are the future of energy distribution. More: if Hersh is right, it is also necessary to understand the extent to which Europe will be colluding.
European silence was heard, when it had every interest in determining those responsible for the sabotage.
*Executive Director of PLATAFORMA
