Liz Truss has said a series of explosions that severely damaged Russia’s undersea Nord Stream gas pipelines were an act of sabotage.
In a joint report delivered to the United Nations last week, the Danish and Swedish governments have claimed that the leaks in the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which can carry gas to Germany, were caused by blasts equivalent to the power of “several hundred kilograms of explosive”.
The UK prime minister was updated on developments in the situation unfolding in the Baltic Sea as she engaged in talks with her Danish counterpart, Mette Frederiksen, in Downing Street on Saturday.
Suspicions have been rising in western capitals that the explosions on the pipelines were attacks carried out by Russia as a means of intensifying pressure in western governments over energy supplies. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has dismissed any such claims and said in a speech on Friday that “Anglo Saxons” were responsible.
Calling the explosions a “terror attack”, Putin said the blasts were an attempt to “destroy the European energy infrastructure”. However, the US state department has called Putin’s comments “preposterous” and an act of “Russian disinformation”.
Following the meeting between Truss and Frederiksen, a No 10 spokesperson said the leaders had stressed the importance of staying “united against Russia’s despicable action in Ukraine”. The spokesperson confirmed that the prime minister and her Danish counterpart had agreed that the incidents were “clearly an act of sabotage”, with Truss offering the UK’s support for the ongoing investigation.
While neither leader sought to attribute responsibility for the incident, speaking to reporters outside No 10, Frederiksen said: “One of the reasons why I’m here today is because of the situation in the Baltic Sea, with Nord Stream 1 and 2.
“I was able to give some details about what has happened in Denmark, or just outside Denmark. Of course, it has been very important for me to underline that the Danish authorities have said that this is not an accident.
“This is sabotage and it is critical infrastructure. So of course, this is a very serious situation.”
Neither of the Nord Stream pipelines is in operation although both still contain gas.
Nord Stream 1 has not transported any gas since late August, when Russia closed it down for maintenance; Nord Stream 2 was halted after Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
