Russia’s Lavrov Says US Seeking Control of Nord Stream Gas Pipelines

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the U.S. has been seeking control over the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, which were damaged by mysterious blast in September 2022.

Explosions that destroyed the pipelines more than three years ago largely severed Russian gas transit to Europe, squeezing energy supplies on the continent although Russia had already largely stopped deliveries.

Russia and Western countries have both said the incident was an act of sabotage. Investigators spent years trying to piece together the mystery of who was behind it and last year a Ukrainian man was arrested in Italy on suspicion of coordinating the attacks.

Speaking to France Televisions on Thursday, Lavrov said the U.S. has been striving to dominate over the global energy markets, citing Venezuela, where Washington has effectively taken under control the world's largest oil reserves, as well as Iran.

"The United States is also now saying that it wants to take over the Nord Stream pipelines," Lavrov said according to the text of the interview published by Russia's foreign ministry.

He did not provide details.

The Wall Street Journal reported in 2024 that an American investor, Stephen P. Lynch, was seeking to buy the two-pronged Nord Stream 2 pipeline, one line of which remains intact.

(Reuters - Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)