Putin explains Germany’s stance on Nord Stream sabotage by lack of independence

Russia's President Vladimir Putin
©Mikhail Metzel/POOL/TASS

Russian President Vladimir Putin explained Germany’s stance regarding last year’s sabotage attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines by the fact that Germany has never been truly independent after World War II.

"Even European politicians themselves have repeatedly acknowledged publicly that Germany has never been a fully sovereign country after the Second World War. I didn’t say that, but at least one well-known and respected German politician did. I can only agree to that," the Russian president told journalist Pavel Zarubin in an interview aired on Rossiya-1.

The statement came as a response to the question of why Berlin remained silent and inactive regarding the Nord Stream sabotage, despite the project’s importance for German economy and energy security.

Putin emphasized that, at some point, the Soviet Union "withdrew its troops and ended its de-facto occupation of the country." "But, as we all know, the Americans did not. They continue to occupy Germany," he added.

On September 27, 2022, Nord Stream AG reported unprecedented damage that occurred the day before on three strings of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 offshore gas pipelines. On September 26, 2022, Swedish seismologists registered two explosions on the pipeline routes. The Russian Prosecutor General's Office subsequently opened a criminal case based on charges of international terrorism.

West’s ban on everything Russian motivated by hatred of Russia — diplomat

The current ‘Russophobic outrage’ in the West is motivated by hatred of Russia and its culture rather than by condemnation of its special military operation in Ukraine, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya told the UN Security Council.

"In Ukraine today, one may become oppressed for speaking a Russian word or singing a Russian song, reading Russian news, typing a message in Russian on smartphone.

This is a real language inquisition, which causes suffering and even deaths of innocent people," Nebenzya said at Tuesday’s session of the Security Council, which convened at Russia’s initiative. "All this happens today, in plain sight of our Western colleagues, who went just as far and started to prohibit everything Russian too."

"We see all these steps, which are motivated by your hatred to our country, language, religion, and culture that you take pains to conceal. There is no way how condemnation of our special military operation can explain the Russophobic outrage that has engulfed your countries," the Russian diplomat added.