Vladimir Putin blames Nord Stream blasts for disruption of Russia-Germany relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said that the ties between Moscow and Berlin had been disrupted due to blasts in September 2022 affecting the Nord Stream pipelines. These pipelines were responsible for transporting Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea. Putin made this statement while receiving credentials from over 20 new foreign ambassadors, including those from Germany and Britain, during a ceremony at the Kremlin. “The current frozen state of (Germany’s) relations with Russia - and this is not on our initiative, I want to emphasise - is unprofitable. It is unprofitable both for us and for you, but especially, in my view, for Germany,” Putin said. “Energy has always been an attractive area of bilateral cooperation,” he said, reported Reuters. “This cooperation was literally disrupted by the sabotage on the Nord Stream pipelines.” Russia has attributed the pipeline explosions to the United States, Britain, and Ukraine, although all three nations have denied any involvement. Putin also expressed optimism about the potential improvement in relations between Moscow and London, stating, “Let us hope that the situation will change for the better in the interests of our two countries and peoples.” The backdrop for strained relations between Russia and Western countries can be traced back to Putin’s decision in February 2022 to deploy tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, a move that triggered extensive economic sanctions from the Western nations. With inputs from Reuters