Brussels, Washington It’s still just a suspicion — but it’s confirmed with every new detail that’s been revealed. Is Ukraine responsible for the Nord Stream pipeline disruption in the Baltic Sea? Did Ukrainian combat divers charter a yacht and detonate a pipe with dynamite?
These are issues that are also being addressed by senior NATO representatives. As Handelsblatt has learned from Allianz, the track to Ukraine is considered the most likely. It is a “very serious matter”.
The initial assumption that Russia would blow up the pipeline itself to exacerbate Europe’s energy crisis is now classified as unlikely within NATO. Allianz’s official communication with the media has also become reticent. The language rule is that you have to wait for the investigation.
Mentioning Ukraine’s involvement is extremely inconvenient for NATO: Alliance partners are currently discussing how to expand support for a country that has been brutally attacked by Russia, and how to honor a 2008 pledge to bring Ukraine into the alliance.
The debate affected a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, which was also attended by Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov. The Kiev government has categorically denied any knowledge of the attacks.
Exactly who was behind the explosion is still unknown.
(Photo: dpa)
However, if it turns out that the Ukrainian leadership knew about the pipeline explosion, and possibly even ordered it, the coalition will have to respond — in what form, publicly.
NATO condemns sabotage of Nord Stream pipeline
Following the September 2022 attacks, NATO issued a statement that spoke of “deliberate, reckless and irresponsible acts of sabotage” and warned: “Any deliberate attack on an alliance partner’s critical will receive a united and firm response”
So far, NATO circles have repeatedly stressed that there is no evidence, only bad suspicion. No one wants to talk about it publicly. The federal government has also remained silent, despite Berlin’s push for the Nord Stream pipeline amid heavy resistance from Eastern Europe in order to get Russian gas cheap.
“German politicians are going to be very careful there,” said a longtime diplomat. “They don’t want to restart the Nord Stream debate at all.” The concern is that the reports will boost pro-Russian forces in Europe. “Of course it was their ammunition,” the diplomat explained.
>> Read here: “We are now living in a more dangerous world” – Handelsblatt interviews NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg
Recently, the “Washington Post”, “Time” and other media reported new details. Accordingly, three months before the September 26 explosion in the Baltic Sea, the United States received a warning from the Dutch Secret Service that a team of combat divers commanded by the Ukrainian General Staff was preparing to carry out a bomb attack. The Americans are said to have notified the federal government and warned Ukrainians not to follow through on the plans.
Destroy two Nord Stream pipelines
Explosions in the southeast and northeast of the Danish Baltic Sea island of Bornholm ruptured one leg of the never-used Nord Stream 2 pipeline and two legs of the older Nord Stream pipeline. A photograph showing gas escaping into the atmosphere in circular geysers that travel around the world.
In Germany, the Attorney General took over the investigation. So far, the following information has been leaked: At the beginning of September 2022, several men (and possibly a woman) set sail on a 15-meter motor sailboat, the Andromeda.
Apparently there were experienced divers on board who could install multiple charges on the Nord Stream pipeline at a depth of 70 to 80 meters. Traces of explosives are said to have been found on the sailboat.
Investigators have identified a Ukrainian youth who is said to have been involved in the attack and has alleged ties to the Ukrainian military, Süddeutsche Zeitung reported. German security expert Nico Lange said: “Investigating authorities must follow all leads.” But he still has doubts about Andromeda’s trail.
NATO interested in further support for Ukraine
In fact, many questions remain unanswered: Could such a complex operation be accomplished by a small diving team? Why would an allegedly highly professional perpetrator leave a trail of explosives? The possibility that the Russian secret service may have set the wrong lead cannot be completely ruled out.
Whatever happens: “It is in NATO’s own interest to continue to support Ukraine and consider security guarantees,” Lange stressed. “We are not talking about concessions to the Kiev government. This is about defending the European security order against Russian aggression.”
This is one reason why no one in NATO has so far publicly linked the findings to Ukraine’s accession prospects – solidarity with the country under attack should be beyond doubt. Eastern Europe has even demanded that Ukraine set a concrete accession date as early as July at the NATO summit in Vilnius.
Security Guarantee or Security Obligation?
Other NATO countries, including Germany and the United States, objected. The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is now focusing on a mechanism that would allow individual NATO countries to pledge long-term military assistance to Kiev – similar to an agreement already reached with Israel.
The United States is Ukraine’s main backer.
(Photo: dpa)
Unlike some European leaders, however, U.S. officials did not refer to “security guarantees” but to the more modestly worded “security obligations.” The Biden administration wants to avoid getting involved in a conflict with Russia at all costs.
From the long-term strategic considerations of the United States, it is completely reasonable for Ukraine to join NATO, although all parties are worried that the conflict with Russia will escalate. The United States is the mainstay of the country’s defense and economic survival struggle.
>> Read here: Joe Biden’s Three Ukraine Questions
Security expert Lange said that if Ukraine joined NATO, it would be more effective and less costly to protect Ukraine. The other option is much more complicated: equipping the Ukrainian armed forces in such a way that they can deter Russia on their own.
In these discussions, revelations about possible Ukrainian involvement have been very damaging. The unspoken hope now is that investigators won’t be able to reconstruct the course of events in a court-proof fashion. And the debate is slowly dying down, while the level of knowledge has not reached the point where it must have political consequences.
more: Nord Stream – Will the Mystery of Destruction Be Solved?