Polish Prez justifies blasting Nord Stream, says 'freed' Europe from Russian plan for 'dominance'

Warsaw: The destruction of Nord Stream gas pipelines has “freed” Europe from Moscow’s plan for “dominance” on Russian gas, said Polish President Andrzej Duda. During a visit to the United Arab Emirates, Duda told CNN the Nord Stream sabotage had also ended Poland’s dependence on Russian gas. The Poland president’s remarks came amid a report by _New York Times_ which cited anonymous US intelligence officials suggesting that a pro-Ukrainian group carried out Nord Stream pipelines attack on 26 September last year. Nord Stream explosion ‘beneficial’ for Europe Duda did not confirm the claims that Ukraine was behind the attack on the gas pipelines, but affirmed that if Nord Stream did not exist it would be “beneficial” for Europe. The Poland president called the natural gas pipeline projects part of Europe’s appeasement strategy in relations with Russia. Also Read: 'Diversion': Russia rejects report that 'pro-Ukrainian group' was behind Nord Stream pipeline blast It can be recalled that Poland was among the major opponents of Nord Stream pipelines. In August last year, roughly ahead a month before the attack, the central European country lobbied for it to be dismantled. Ukraine denies involvement The Nord Stream pipelines were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany. Amid allegations, war-torn Ukraine denied any involvement in explosion and said it “was absolutely not involved”. The real reason behind the Nord Stream pipelines explosion is unknown, but it is widely believed that they were attacked.

How US can make assumptions, asks Russia Russia questioned the US how could it make assumptions without an investigation into the explosion. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov termed the latest US report a “co-ordinated fake news media campaign”. State news agency Ria-Novosti quoted Peskov saying that those who attacked the pipeline “clearly… want to divert attention.” Don’t Miss: Russia wants UN probe into Nord Stream gas pipelines explosions For the unversed, Russia has blamed the West for the Nord Stream gas pipelines explosion. It became firmer after American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh in his blog cited a source ‘with direct knowledge of the operational planning’ behind the alleged plot of explosion saying US carried out the attack in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Hersh also claimed that US Navy’s Diving and Salvage Centre in Florida, planted C4 explosives on three Nord Stream pipelines in June 2022. The sabotage was a secret mission overseen by US President Joe Biden. Must Read: US planted explosives along Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022 under Biden supervision, claims Seymour Hersh The White House dismissed Hersh’s report, calling it “utterly false and complete fiction”. A Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) spokesperson also called the report “completely and utterly false”. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.