European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned Tuesday of severe repercussions for any intentional disruption of European energy infrastructure.
Von der Leyen made the remarks after discussing the leaks in the Russian Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea in a phone call with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
Following her conversation with Frederiksen, she said in a tweet that “any deliberate disruption of active European energy infrastructure is unacceptable & will lead to the strongest possible response.”
Von der Leyen also placed emphasis on launching an investigation into the gas leaks to “get full clarity on events,” calling them a “sabotage action.”
Earlier in the day, Frederiksen said it was hard to imagine that the gas leaks were caused by a “coincidence.”
Danish Energy Minister Dan Jorgensen also said the gas leaks were not due to accidents but were the result of explosions.
The Russia-owned Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which runs from Russia under the Baltic Sea to Germany, was originally created to double the volume of gas transported directly to Germany. But just as work on the pipeline was completed, Germany decided to cancel it after the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which stretches 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) under the Baltic Sea from the Russian coast near St .Petersburg to northeastern Germany, was stopped by Russia following Germany’s decision to halt certification of Nord Stream 2.
-AA