MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. The only two beneficiaries that stand to gain from the rupture of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines are the United States and Ukraine. In a situation like this Europe is faced with a stark choice - to demonstrate Euro-Atlantic solidarity once again or to conduct an impartial investigation, the deputy speaker of Russia’s Federation Council (upper house of parliament), Konstantin Kosachev, said on Wednesday.
As the senator explained on his Telegram channel, the gas pipelines’ rupture was beneficial "only to two countries."
"One is Ukraine, which is becoming a monopolist transiter of Russian gas to Europe. And the other is the United States, which is ousting from Europe a significant share of Russian pipeline gas - the competitor of US LNG," Kosachev said.
He remarked that if he was right, everybody would soon see the Americans and Ukrainians "persuading Europe in unison that it was another attempt by Russia to split the collective West and the EU’s newcomers."
"Europe faces a stark choice between buying falsehoods, thus demonstrating notorious Euro-Atlantic solidarity (cowardly loyalty is a far better term, though) once again or mustering up the courage and conducting a real and honest investigation. By the way, Russia is absolutely ready for this," Kosachev said.
He believes that it will not be an easy choice to make - "literally and figuratively between the ‘TV’ (indiscriminate Russophobic propaganda afoot in the West) and the 'fridge’ (the real interests of the people)."
"Surprise, surprise, the choice will have to be made right now, without delay. Hiding inside the European castle and turning a blind eye on the harsh and cynical realities of the Anglo-Saxon world is no longer possible," Kosachev wrote.
On Tuesday, Nord Stream AG reported "unprecedented damage" on three strings of the offshore gas pipelines of the Nord Stream system. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow was "extremely concerned about this news." He did not rule out that the disruption of the pipelines’ operation might have been a result of sabotage.
Later, Swedish seismologists said they had identified two explosions on the routes the Nord Stream pipelines on Monday. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, classified these incidents as sabotage.
"Any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure is utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell underlined in a statement.