The Danish Energy Agency reports that one of the two damaged natural gas pipes in the Baltic Sea no longer appears to be leaking natural gas. The agency tweeted on Saturday that it had been informed by the firm controlling the Russia-to-Germany-running Nord Stream 2 pipeline that the pipeline’s pressure seemed to have stabilized.
The Danish Energy Agency stated, “This suggests that gas leaks have halted in this pipeline.”
This week’s explosions that damaged the Nord Stream I and 2 pipelines have caused massive gas leaks. The explosions, according to Nordic investigators, involved several hundred pounds of explosives.
The United States and its allies have angrily refuted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s accusation that the West has sabotaged pipelines constructed by Russia.
U.S.-Russian clashes continued later at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council in New York called by Russia in response to the pipeline attacks, and as Norwegian researchers published a map predicting that a massive plume of methane from the damaged pipelines will spread across vast portions of the Nordic region.
Putin stated on Friday in Moscow that “Anglo-Saxons” in the West have shifted from imposing sanctions on Russia to “terror assaults” by damaging pipelines in an attempt to “destroy the European energy infrastructure.”
In Washington, Vice President Joe Biden characterized Putin’s statements regarding the pipeline as absurd.
“It was an act of purposeful sabotage. The Russians are now disseminating disinformation and lies. We will collaborate with our allies to determine precisely what transpired “Biden vowed. “Simply disregard what Putin is saying. We know that what he’s saying is not true.”
U.S. officials stated that Putin’s allegation was an attempt to divert attention away from his takeover of portions of Ukraine on Friday.
Friday, White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson stated, “We will not allow Russia’s deception to detract from their obviously false attempt to grab sovereign Ukrainian land.”
European nations, which have been hurting from increasing energy prices as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have observed that Russia, not Europe, gains from chaos on the energy markets and soaring energy prices.
The United States has long opposed the two pipelines and repeatedly asked Germany to halt their construction, arguing that they would increase Europe’s energy dependence on Russia and reduce its security. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in February, Russia has reduced natural gas exports to Europe used to heat homes, produce electricity, and power enterprises. European politicians have accused Putin of employing “energy blackmail” to splinter their support for Ukraine.
The pipeline attacks have led energy firms and European governments to increase energy infrastructure security.