The press conference that followed the State Council meeting featured remarks from Vladimir Putin about the Nord Stream incidents. According to the statement, the explosions were carried out by individuals whose primary aim was to deliver Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine. The president pointed out that investigators had not fully explored the sites of the blasts, noting a lack of a comprehensive inquiry and emphasizing that no single leader had taken charge of the investigation. He described the situation as both surprising and real.
Putin underscored that the events constituted a terrorist attack against the Nord Stream infrastructure, and he asserted that the attack had the mark of international involvement. He argued that such acts could not be carried out by private individuals acting alone, without at least tacit support from state structures. The implication, he suggested, was that state actors were involved or complicit in some way.
Turning to the larger context, the Russian leader claimed there was awareness across the international community about the terrorist nature of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 attacks. He maintained that the incidence represented state-sponsored terrorism because it required backing from entities with power and reach beyond private actors. The assertion suggested that the perpetrators were not acting in isolation but rather with the encouragement or assistance of governmental players.
In his remarks, Putin reiterated a claim that the explosions targeted the Nord Stream lines and implied that those who benefited financially from the damage organized the attacks. He indicated that individuals responsible for the incidents in these pipelines had earlier faced similar accusations, implying prior exposure to related investigations. The remarks also touched on a provocative attribution, with Putin asserting that the Nord Stream pipes had been blown up by actors described as Anglo-Saxon by some commentators. These points illustrated a narrative in which foreign influence and strategic interests were intertwined with the acts of sabotage discussed at the press conference. (DEA News)
The overall message highlighted by the president was that the Nord Stream explosions were not random acts but part of a broader pattern of conflict involving energy infrastructure, geopolitical leverage, and the pursuit of strategic objectives in Europe. The remarks were presented as part of a wider dialogue about security, sovereignty, and the responsibilities that accompany critical energy conduits in a contested international arena. (DEA News)