NEW YORK, September 29. /TASS/. The "sabotage" that caused damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines may lead to an escalation or even war, former US President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday.
The politician wrote on his Truth Social social-media site that while everybody was "talking about the big hurricane barreling into Florida," the situation around the gas pipelines could have more severe consequences.
"Perhaps a far more important event in the longer term was the announcement that the Nord Stream 1 and 2 Pipelines out of Russia (which I brought to the world’s attention as President when I explained how crippling reliance on it could be for Germany and other parts of Europe. Everybody laughed at the time, but they are not laughing anymore!) has been sabotaged. This could lead to major escalation, or war!" Trump insisted.
On Thursday, newspaper Svenska Dagbladet reported, citing a Swedish coast guard official, that a fourth gas leak had been found on the damaged Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines.
Leaking pipelines
Three leaks were registered on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines within several hours. The first was identified along Nord Stream 2 near the Danish island of Bornholm, and the other two leaks were discovered afterwards. Denmark’s Energy Agency said a large amount of natural gas had streamed out. Aircraft and vessels were advised to stay at least five miles away from the site of the incident. Later, Swedish seismologists said two explosions had been recorded along the routes of both pipelines on Monday.
Nord Stream AG said the damage on three offshore lines of the Nord Stream gas pipeline system was unprecedented and that it was hard to say when the pipelines could be repaired.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that he did not rule out sabotage as a reason behind the damage that occurred at the Nord Stream pipelines.