Russia is ready to hold talks with Germany on Nord Stream.
The Russian ambassador to Germany affirmed that Moscow is ready to hold substantive dialogues with Berlin regarding the investigation into the Nord Stream project. However, Russia is also preparing for other scenarios, given the years of stalled investigations.
In an interview with RIA Novosti on May 2, Russia's ambassador to Germany, Sergey Nechaev, stated that Russia is always open to dialogue with Germany regarding terrorist acts targeting the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.
"We are ready for substantive dialogue, but we do not rule out other possible scenarios," the Russian diplomat emphasized.
Mr. Nechaev noted that, to date, Berlin has ignored all requests for legal assistance and proposals for a joint investigation from Moscow. Over the years, the investigative efforts of German authorities have not made any significant progress.
Russia has repeatedly criticized Germany's refusal to cooperate with Moscow within the framework of cooperation agreements.Investigating the incident related to Nord Stream, Russia claims this action directly violates international conventions on combating bomb terrorism and preventing the financing of terrorism.
"The aforementioned conventions, to which Russia, Germany, and many other countries are signatories, oblige the parties to assist each other in investigating terrorist crimes. However, this is not the case in practice," Ambassador Nechaev stated.
In September 2024, to break this deadlock, Russia formally filed pre-prosecution complaints against Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Switzerland concerning an investigation into a terrorist act on the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. This move aimed to increase legal pressure on the European countries involved in the incident.
The explosions at two key Russian gas pipelines exporting gas to Europe occurred on September 26, 2022. At the time, authorities in Germany, Denmark, and Sweden did not rule out the possibility that these were acts of deliberate sabotage.
The system's operator, Nord Stream AG, described the damage to the pipelines as "unprecedented" and stated that the repair time was impossible to estimate. Immediately after the incident, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office initiated a criminal case for international terrorism. Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov also repeatedly stated that Russia had repeatedly requested data on the explosions but had never received a response from the parties involved.
In 2023, American investigative journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Seymour Hersh published a shocking report. Citing anonymous intelligence sources, Hersh stated that explosive devices had been planted under the pipeline by US Navy divers in June 2022.
However, shortly after the article was published, the Pentagon issued an official statement to RIA Novosti, firmly rejecting all accusations and asserting that Washington had no involvement whatsoever in sabotaging Russia's pipeline system.
