Russia and the United States are fiercely engaged in a fierce confrontation over who is behind the destruction of the Nord Stream-1 and Nord Stream-2 subsea gas pipelines. The General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation has opened a case to investigate the destruction of the "Nord Stream" gas pipeline on charges of "international terrorist attack". The United Nations Security Council also held an emergency meeting on Friday on the Nord Stream incident at the request of Russia. Russia also pointed the finger at US President Joe Biden, demanding that the US side respond to Biden's previous threats to "end the Nord Stream-2" pipeline. The United States categorically denied it and accused Russia of "spreading false information" through the "Nord Stream incident." At the same time, the Russian side announced on the 29th that the signing ceremony of the "Russia" treaty in Donetsk and other four places will be held in the Kremlin on the 30th, and President Putin will attend the ceremony. Many analysts believe that in the future, neither the Russian-Ukrainian situation nor the Russian-European relations will have room for turnaround. The biggest victim of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is Europe. According to Bloomberg, the disruption of Russian gas supply caused by the destruction of the "Nord Stream" pipeline may have overshadowed the 2008 global financial crisis in comparison. The report predicts that the total GDP of the EU27 countries may even shrink by 5% this year.
"Fourth Leak Point"
"Sweden found the fourth leak point of the 'Nord Stream' pipeline", the German "Der Spiegel" weekly reported on the 29th, after the "Nord Stream" pipeline was found to have been damaged in three places, the Swedish authorities announced the discovery of a fourth leak point. A spokesman for the Swedish Coast Guard said the newly discovered leak was located in the Nord Stream-2 pipeline, which was initially undetected because it was relatively small, and the Swedish Coast Guard only noticed it when it was investigating and patrolling the vicinity. The spokesman said that two of the current four leak points are in the Swedish exclusive economic zone, and the "bubble ring" formed at the sea surface is 900 meters and 200 meters in diameter, respectively, and the other two are located in the Danish exclusive economic zone. Apparently, the damage to the Nord Stream pipeline this time was much greater than initially thought.
Regarding the destruction of the "Nord Stream" pipeline, the German "Daily Mirror" quoted the government as pessimistic that the deliberate damage to the "Nord Stream" pipeline may have caused "irreparable damage" to the pipeline. German officials say that if the destroyed pipelines cannot be repaired quickly, too much salty sea water will flow into the pipes, irreversibly corroding them.
As of now, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Russia and other relevant parties have determined that the leakage of the "Nord Stream" pipeline was caused by deliberate destruction. All parties have indicated that an investigation will be conducted. Russia's "Kommersant" said on the 29th that the Russian Federal General Procuratorate has opened an investigation on the crime of "international terrorist attack" for the destruction of the "Nordstream" natural gas pipeline. Russia also asked the United Nations Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on the incident, which will be held on the 30th local time. The Russian side said that Russia firmly demanded a comprehensive and objective investigation into the incident of damaging the pipeline.
Of all the countries directly affected by the Nord Stream pipeline explosion, Sweden first launched an investigation, and Denmark and Germany said they would assist in the investigation, but Russia was not invited by the above countries to participate in the investigation. Europe now faces a difficult choice to either show "shameful Atlantic unity" again or summon the courage to conduct an honest investigation.
"Russia Today" TV quoted Russian Federal Council member Dolgov on the 29th as saying that European countries do not seem to want to invite Russia, but Russia has the right to participate in the investigation. Europe must understand that it is impossible to investigate the incident objectively without Russia's involvement. Apparently, either someone is not interested in this investigation or someone already knows who the culprit is.
Russia and the United States are pointing the finger at each other
The "Nord Stream" gas pipeline was destroyed, and there are many opinions on the identity of the "black hand behind the scenes". Most European officials have been cautious about this, and even the German economy minister Habek, who has been tough on Russia, has rarely declined to comment. At the same time, Russia and the United States are pointing the finger at each other. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova said at a press conference on the 29th that US Secretary of State Blinken's previous remarks that "the Nord Stream incident is not good for anyone" are ridiculous and ridiculous. "The United States has been trying every means for years to try to combat this pipeline project ... So when Mr. Blinken says that sabotaging this project would not benefit anyone, it is ridiculous. This is a lie. Blinken said the day before that the cause of the "North Stream incident" was under investigation and that "if news of the sabotage is confirmed, it is clearly not in anyone's interest."
Zakharova also posted a video on social media on the 28th and "named" to ask Biden to respond. The video she released showed Biden threatening at a Feb. 7 news conference that "if Russia 'invades' Ukraine, the Nord Stream-2 pipeline will be terminated." When asked by a reporter how the pipeline would "end" the U.S. under German jurisdiction, Biden said: "I promise you that we can do it." ”
Zakharova asked the U.S. side to explain Biden's remarks: "U.S. President Joe Biden has an obligation to answer the question of whether the United States will put threats into action when the 'Nord Stream' pipeline is breached... Europe must know the truth! ”
For the Russian questioning, White House spokesperson Karin Jean-Pierre said at a press conference on the 28th that the "end" means Biden said at that time were only to promote the German government to freeze the "Nord Stream-2" project, and "the United States should not be responsible for this matter." U.S. State Department spokesman Price also called the claim that the United States was involved in any way in sabotaging the Nord Stream pipeline "ridiculous," and he accused Russia of "spreading false information" through it. The U.S. State Department then posted a video of Price's speech on social media, with a caption accusing "Russia of having a long history of spreading disinformation." However, some American netizens questioned: "When you say this, don't you yourself admit that the United States has a longer history in spreading lies, misinformation, and false information?" (Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo publicly admitted that "we lie, deceive, steal.") - Editor's Note)
Even Carlson, the host of Fox Television in the United States, suspected that the incident was the work of the Biden administration. Carlson pointed out on the program on the 28th that any sentence said by the president was not casual, especially Biden used a prepared speech at that time. Carlson also said that Russia itself is unlikely to do so, because blowing up its own energy pipeline is tantamount to "suicide", which is an important bargaining chip in Russia's negotiations with European countries.
Some Western media have also tried to "bring rhythm" through various hints. CNN said anonymous European security officials said a Russian Navy vessel was found nearby when the pipeline leak occurred. Russian presidential press secretary Peskov retorted on the 29th: "There is the Baltic Sea, where more are the aircraft and ships of NATO countries, so this is completely stupid and biased news." ”
The treaty of "joining Russia" in the four places was signed on Friday
At the same time, the process of "entering Russia" in four regions, including Donetsk, is speeding up. Peskov said on the 29th: "The signing ceremony of the new territorial treaty into Russia will be held in the Kremlin on Friday, and President Putin will deliver a long speech." ”
The development of the Russian-Ukrainian situation has made Russian-European relations moving towards a complete rupture. The US "Politics" news network said that European Commission President von der Leyen announced the proposal of the eighth round of EU sanctions against Russia on the 28th. According to the proposal, the EU would set a cap on Russian oil prices. Von der Leyen said that it would never accept a "referendum to join Russia" and that "we are determined to make the Kremlin pay the price."
The EU sanctions also include soap, toilet paper, etc. in the list of prohibited imports. In response, Zakharova taunted on social media: "This is reminiscent of two hundred years ago, Napoleon wrote to Josephine: 'Don't take a bath, I am coming day and night, and I will arrive in three days.'" "This is the return of Europeans to their ancestors." ”
Europeans are unhappy with the harm they may have suffered. Reuters said that tens of thousands of people held demonstrations in the streets of Prague on the 28th to protest the government's policy of sanctioning Russia to push up energy prices. Demonstrators accused the Czech government of serving only the EU, NATO and US forces at the expense of Czechs. Similar demonstrations have taken place in many other countries in Europe recently.
Bloomberg said that if the weather is particularly cold in the next few months, the total GDP of the EU27 countries may shrink by as much as 5%, of which Germany will be one of the most affected. The eventual impact could be worse than predicted. Honoré, a senior fellow at the Oxford Energy Research Institute, said it wasn't just a three-month problem, the lingering fear in Europe today was that the pain of the coming months might just be the beginning.