On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a major address where he painted the war in Ukraine as an existential conflict for Russia. He accused the United States and its allies of waging a hybrid war against Russia and of attacking the Nord Stream gas pipelines connecting Russia to Germany. The pipelines were ruptured last week in what is widely viewed as an act of sabotage.
President Vladimir Putin: “Sanctions were not enough for the Anglo-Saxons. They moved into sabotage. It is hard to believe that it is a fact that they organized the blast on the Nord Stream international gas pipelines, which run along the bottom of the Baltic Sea. They began to destroy the pan-European energy infrastructure. It is clear to everyone who benefits from this. Of course, those who benefit did it.”
The United States has denied any involvement in the pipeline attack, but on Friday Secretary of State Tony Blinken acknowledged the development presents a “tremendous opportunity” for the United States.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken: “And ultimately this is also a tremendous opportunity. It’s a tremendous opportunity to once and for all remove the dependence on Russian energy, and thus to take away from Vladimir Putin the weaponization of energy as a means of advancing his imperial designs.”