German FM refuses to comment on Nord Stream blasts after visit to Kiev
The office of Germany's foreign minister says that it can't comment on whether the top diplomat discussed with Zelensky reports of Ukraine's involvement in Nord Stream attack.
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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, right, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba seen before joint news conference following their talks in Kiev, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 11, 2022 (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky/Pool)
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock's office declined to comment on whether Germany's top diplomat discussed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky media reports accusing Kiev of playing a role in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022.
Baerbock made a surprise visit to Kiev earlier this week during which she held private talks with Zelensky, but no further details regarding the meeting were made public.
Read more: Ship allegedly involved in Nord Stream sabotage searched: Germany
"You know our general rule that we do not comment on closed-door negotiations, in particular on those held by governments. But I would also not want to provide grounds for speculation," Foreign Office spokesperson Christian Wagner told reporters.
Prominent German media outlets ZDF and Der Spiegel reported last August that the investigation into the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions has confirmed that Ukraine played a part in the attack, adding that there is no evidence of Russia's involvement in the attack.
In June, a report by The Washington Post said the CIA knew through a European spy agency, three months before the incident, that members of a Ukrainian special operations team intended to blow up the mega infrastructure. A Belgian media outlet also shared a report with a similar narrative later that month.
Famed investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, who had previously exposed US war crimes in My Lai and Abu Ghraib, said in a publication last March that US President Joe Biden issued the order for the attack with Norway's help.
