Kathmandu— Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s recent comments regarding the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions were motivated by economic factors, specifically Poland’s lost potential revenue as a transit country for Russian gas. The statement, made in an interview with Vesti on Sunday, followed Tusk's remarks questioning the need for shame over the blasts and instead criticizing those who built the pipelines. Putin claims that Warsaw initially expected to benefit economically from Nord Stream before plans shifted to bypass Poland via a Baltic Sea route.

Tusk’s Position and Polish Opposition

Donald Tusk stated on Thursday that responsibility for the September 2022 explosions should not lie with those who carried them out, but rather with those who constructed the Nord Stream pipelines. Poland had consistently voiced opposition to the pipeline's construction due to concerns about European dependence on Russian energy sources. Putin characterized Tusk’s position as stemming from “economic expediency.”

Lost Transit Revenue

Putin explained that the original plan for the Nord Stream project included routing one of the pipelines through Poland, which would have provided Warsaw with economic benefits as a transit nation. However, the decision was made to lay the second line along the Baltic Sea floor “to minimize risks.” According to Putin, Poland opposed this change because it stood to lose revenue from the transportation of Russian hydrocarbons and its position as a key transit country.

Investigation Findings

German investigators believe that a small group of Ukrainian nationals carried out the sabotage using a rented yacht to transport explosives to the waters near Bornholm, Denmark. They allegedly used commercial diving equipment to place charges on the pipelines at a depth of approximately 100 meters. A suspect in the bombing was recently arrested in Croatia based on a European warrant. Moscow has consistently rejected these findings, arguing that such an operation could not have been conducted within NATO-controlled waters without state sponsorship.

The investigation into the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage remains ongoing, with differing accounts of responsibility and motives from various parties involved.

(With inputs from RT)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.