(Bloomberg) -- German Economy Minister Robert Habeck implied that Russia is to blame for explosions that caused extensive damage to the two Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, in the clearest statement yet by a European leader implicating the Kremlin.
“Russia saying ‘it wasn’t us’ is like saying ‘I’m not the thief,’” Habeck told reporters Friday in Brussels after a meeting of EU energy ministers. Russia has denied responsibility and President Vladimir Putin on Friday blamed “Anglo-Saxons” for the blasts, without providing any evidence.
“There’s an investigation ongoing and we should wait for the result,” Habeck said, adding that he wouldn’t trust comments by Kremlin officials saying that Russia had nothing to do with the incidents.
“I don’t believe anything coming from Russia,” Habeck, a member of the Greens party who is also Germany’s vice chancellor, told reporters. “The truth has departed Russia. We cannot rely on their words anymore.”
Along with Greens Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Habeck has been one of the most vocal critics of Putin in Germany’s ruling coalition, and they have repeatedly called for more heavy weapons to be sent to Ukraine.
That marks something of a contrast with Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has been widely criticized for a perceived reluctance in his backing for the government in Kyiv and accused of dragging his feet over arms deliveries.
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
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