NEW YORK, October 3. /TASS/. The United States may be responsible for damages of the Nord Stream and the Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, professor of economics of Columbia University Jeffrey Sachs said on Monday on the air with the Bloomberg TV.
"The destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline, which I would bet was a US action, perhaps US and Poland," Sachs said.
Sach’s statement caused a strident reaction of TV hosts that demanded a confirmation of his words from the economist. "First of all, there is great evidence that US helicopters, military helicopters that are normally based in Gdansk, were circling over this area. We also had the threats from the United States earlier in this year that one way or another, we are going to in Nord Stream. We also had the remarkable statement by Secretary [of State] Blinken. Last Friday in a press conference he says this is also a tremendous opportunity. It's a strange way to interact. Sorry, it's a strange way to talk if you're worried about the international infrastructure of vital significance," Sachs responded.
"I know this runs counter to our narrative and you're not allowed to say these things in the West," he added.
Four leaks were discovered last week on the Nord Stream gas link, with the most recent one pinpointed by Sweden’s coast guard. Earlier, the Nord Stream AG company reported that three threads of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 offshore gas pipelines had suffered unprecedented damage on September 26. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow was "deeply concerned about the news" and did not rule out that the pipelines’ operation could have been disrupted by an act of sabotage. Swedish seismologists later revealed that two explosions had been recorded along the Nord Stream pipelines on September 26. The Danish Energy Agency reported that a large amount of gas had spilled into the sea.