Nord Stream pipeline leaks: Sabotage ‘act of int’l terrorism’

Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday said that major leaks which suddenly erupted in the Nord Stream gas pipelines running from Russia to Europe were an "act of international terrorism".

Putin said the attacks on the pipelines, which European and Western governments have called sabotage, set a "dangerous precedent".

He said Europe was to blame for its energy crisis with policies that starved the oil and gas industry of investment and said price caps would make it worse, as EU states tried to forge a deal on ways to contain soaring energy costs.

Worries about the security of energy supplies were heightened on Wednesday when a leak in Poland on the Druzhba pipeline from Russia reduced the flow of oil to Germany.

Poland said the leak was probably caused by an accident but it came as European Union nations are seeking to wean themselves off a reliance on Russian energy in response to the invasion of Ukraine in February.

The Nord Stream gas link that serves Germany is currently out of action after a leak last month that both Russia and the West have blamed on sabotage, without identifying who was behind it.

Putin said the leaks in the two Nord Stream pipelines running from Russia to Europe were an "act of international terrorism" and about depriving people of cheap energy.

Putin said gas could still be supplied by one intact part of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline but it was up to the EU whether or not it wanted the gas. Germany cancelled the Nord Stream 2 project after Russia sent troops into Ukraine.

Speaking at an energy forum in Russia, Putin said Russia was not to blame for the sky-high energy prices in Europe.

The impact of efforts to use less Russian energy, plus steep cuts in supplies from Russia, have been felt across the 27-nation EU, with gas prices almost 90 percent higher than a year ago and fears of rationing and power cuts over the coming winter.