The White House has dismissed claims that the United States was behind the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions, saying the reports were “totally false”.
The allegations, published by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, said the blasts that took place last September were carried out on the orders of the President Joe Biden.
However, the claims were closed by a spokesperson for the White House National Council, who added that it was “totally false and complete fiction”.
The alleged findings, which have not been corroborated by Reuters, have also been criticized by CIA and State Department spokespersons.
THE WE And NATO called the incident “an act of sabotage”, while Sweden and Denmark both concluded that the the pipelines were deliberately blasted.
Neither country has said who might be responsible for the attacks.
Moscow blamed the West for the unexplained explosions and said the United States had questions to answer about its role in what may have happened.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov added that there would be “consequences” for the United States, but has not yet provided any evidence.
Ryabkov also said the allegations made in the message were “not a surprise” to Moscow because it was clear from the start who stood to gain from the pipeline sabotage.
Learn more:
How the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was controversial from the start
The pipeline from Russia to Germany is a symbol of how toxic political decisions can become
What is NordStream 2?
The construction of Nord Stream 2 was designed to double the volume of gas that Russia could send to Germany under the Baltic Sea.
Photo: AP
It was completed in September 2021 but never entered service after Berlin suspended certification just days before Moscow sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022.
The project costs $11 (£8bn) and crosses the sea, starting near Narva Bay in the Ust-Luga region of the Kingisepp district in the Leningrad region of Russia.
