Leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines from Russia to Europe are a very serious development and highly suspicious, but a full investigation is needed to establish what happened, a western official said on Sept. 28.
The official did not blame Russia for the leaks but said President Vladimir Putin should undo his recent series of escalations over the invasion of Ukraine, especially nuclear rhetoric the official said was "deeply irresponsible."
Europe is investigating the cause of major leaks into the Baltic Sea from two Russian gas pipelines at the center of an energy standoff with Moscow. Poland's prime minister said it was an act of sabotage linked to Russia's escalation of the situation in Ukraine.
RELATED
Gas from Russia’s Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Leaks into Baltic Sea
Norway to Deploy its Military to Protect its Oil and Gas Installations
"On the pipelines, clearly, this looks very serious. The multiple explosions at the same time - it's very serious and is going to have to be investigated," the western official said, on condition of anonymity.
"It definitely looks highly suspicious, but I think we need to establish the facts and then attribute."
The Kremlin said on Sept. 28 claims that Russia was behind a possible attack on the Nord Stream pipelines were stupid, adding that the incident needed to be investigated and the timings for repair of the pipelines were not clear.
Following Ukraine's retaking of northeastern territory in a fierce counteroffensive, Putin has announced a partial military mobilization and stepped up rhetoric about Russia's preparedness to use nuclear weapons.
The western official said the heightened nuclear rhetoric might be a sign of Putin's panic and his possible realization that invading Ukraine was a mistake, warning that if he used such weapons there would be unspecified severe consequences.
The official called on Russia, as a member of the U.N. Security council, to stop using "deeply irresponsible" nuclear rhetoric and de-escalate the crisis.
"We are not going to be deterred from supporting Ukraine in defending its own territory," the official said. "[Russia] needs to pull back from this. And of course, there will be really severe consequences if they crossed this reddest of red lines."
Recommended Reading
Crescent Upsizes Stock Offering, Offers Debt for Ridgemar Acquisition
2024-12-04 - Crescent Energy is offering 21.5 million shares of its stock and borrowing additional funds to pay for the cash portion of a $905 million acquisition of Ridgemar Energy.
Innovex Closes $104MM Acquisition of Downhole Well Solutions
2024-12-02 - Innovex International paid $103.7 million in cash and stock for Downhole Well Solutions, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
Talos Sells More of Mexican Subsidiary to Billionaire Carlos Slim
2024-12-17 - Talos Energy has agreed to sell another 30.1% interest in subsidiary Talos Mexico to entities controlled by billionaire Carlos Slim, whose companies also own at least 24% of Talos Energy’s common stock.
Crescent Energy Bolts On $905MM Central Eagle Ford Acreage
2024-12-03 - Crescent Energy will purchase Eagle Ford assets from Carnelian Energy Capital Management-backed Ridgemar Energy for $905 million, plus WTI-based contingency payments of up to $170 million.
Constellation Energy Nearing $30B Deal for Calpine, Sources Say
2025-01-08 - Constellation Energy is nearing a roughly $30 billion deal to acquire power producer Calpine that could be announced as early as Jan. 13, sources familiar with the matter said.
Comments
Add new comment
This conversation is moderated according to Hart Energy community rules. Please read the rules before joining the discussion. If you’re experiencing any technical problems, please contact our customer care team.