Germany believes that the ingress of seawater into the pipes will cause corrosion, rendering the infrastructure unusable
The European Union (EU) has no doubts that the leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines are the result of “deliberate acts”. In a joint statement, the Twenty-seven expressed concern on Wednesday about the sabotage of these two infrastructures in the Baltic Sea and warned they will provide a “joint and solid” response if the leaks are shown to have been caused.
At this time, all available information “indicates that the leaks are the result of an intentional act,” the document emphasizes. And he adds that “any intentional disruption to Europe’s energy infrastructure is absolutely unacceptable and will receive a unanimous response.” Denmark, Norway, Poland and the United States also defend the sabotage theory, and Swedish seismologists went further by confirming several explosions in the area hours before the leaks from the two pipes were recorded.
The gas leaks were recorded in the early hours of Tuesday, when Danish maritime authorities reported a leak in the Nord Stream 2. Hours later, two other leaks were confirmed in the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, in the same area, 20 kilometers away. from the Danish island of Bornholm.
Three CIA officials said on Tuesday they warned European countries in June that the two gas pipelines would become the target of future attacks, though they did not specify who could be behind these acts. Germany, for its part, has indicated that it believes that the ingress of seawater into the pipes will cause corrosion that will make these two infrastructures permanently unusable.
The holes in the two gigantic pipes have already resulted in the loss of more than half of the stored gas, with consequent economic costs. Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov acknowledged that the leaks are “problematic” for Moscow because the Russian gas that escapes “costs a lot of money”. Both gas pipelines were shut down – the 1 was closed by the Kremlin in early September in retaliation for economic sanctions and the 2 was never put into service – but they were at maximum capacity.
For this reason, Russia this Wednesday requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, of which it is a permanent member, to discuss the matter. France, which presides over the body, has confirmed that they will meet tomorrow to look into the matter.
The incident also led to an environmental disaster in the Baltic Sea in just a few hours. Images of the area reveal a huge smoldering pool of methane gas, which is considered a major emitter of greenhouse gases.
On the other hand, the Twenty-seven announced on Wednesday that they are preparing to adjust to the oil price ceiling proposed by the G7 countries and restrict the export of more technology that “will limit Russia’s military capability”. The EU estimates that this new package of economic sanctions will have an impact of around €7,000 million. The bloc will also expand the list of individuals and entities sanctioned for their “key role” in the war in Ukraine. Currently, there are more than 1,300 people and organizations on this blacklist.
Source: La Verdad
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