Trump: US, Ukraine could be behind sabotage of Nord Stream gas pipelines

Appearing on this weekend’s Glenn Beck show, former U.S. President Donald Trump spoke about the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September.

Referencing reports that the United States was behind the sabotage, Beck asked Trump for his thoughts on the accuracy of these claims.

“Well, it could have been us, and it could have been Ukraine and it could have been some third-party country that wants to see trouble,” Trump responded. “The one group it wasn’t is Russia.”

Trump went on to argue that it would not be in Russia’s strategic interest to destroy the pipelines. 

“This is a main source of massive income for them. They didn't blow it up to make a point. That’s the one thing I can tell you for sure,” Trump said.

Gazprom, a Russian majority state-owned gas company and formerly the Soviet Ministry of Gas Industry, is the majority owner of the four pipes that make up the pipelines, Nord Stream 1 and 2. Built to take natural gas from Russia to Germany, the Nord Stream pipes were a critical component of Germany’s energy supply. In 2021, 55% of Germany’s natural gas imports came from Russia.

While three of the four pipes were destroyed in the sabotage, one of Nord Stream 2’s pipes remains intact and capable of transporting natural gas to Germany (though it is not currently in operation).

Trump also said the sabotage could have been a U.S.-Ukraine joint effort. 

“It could have been [the U.S.] working in conjunction with Ukraine,” he said.

When the sabotage occurred in September, many government leaders indicated that Russia was likely behind the attack. 

Three months later, the Washington Post published a report with the headline, “There is no conclusive evidence Russia is behind Nord Stream attack,” citing “the assessment of 23 diplomatic and intelligence officials in nine countries.”

In February, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh published an article claiming that Navy divers planted the explosives on the pipes under the cover of a 2022 NATO exercise known as “BALTOPS 22.” 

Hersh claims to have received this information from “a source with direct knowledge of the operational planning.”

According to Hersh’s article, White House spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the story is “false and complete fiction” and CIA spokesperson Tammy Thorp said “this claim is completely and utterly false.”