Scholz calls for accountability in NordStream attacks
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In addition to addressing the pipeline incidents, Scholz affirmed the necessity of accelerating efforts to end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz leads the weekly cabinet meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday stressed the urgent need for an investigation into the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines.
In an interview with ZDF broadcaster on Sunday, Scholz declared, "It is absolutely clear that this must be investigated. I am glad that the federal prosecutor's office and the security agencies have gone as far as media have reported."
He stressed the importance of holding those responsible accountable for the attacks.
In addition to addressing the pipeline incidents, Scholz affirmed the necessity of accelerating efforts to end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
"I think this is the moment to have discussions about how to move from the current situation of war to peace faster than it seems possible at the moment," he said.
The Chancellor expressed optimism about the possibility of a future conference on Ukraine and supported the inclusion of Russia in such discussions, noting his alignment with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the matter.
Read more: Slovak PM slams media for ignoring Ukraine role in Nord Stream attack
On August 14, Germany's chief prosecutor has issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian man suspected of attacking the Nord Stream gas pipelines, according to German media reports.
Public broadcaster ARD, along with the Suddeutsche Zeitung and Die Zeit newspapers, identified the suspect as a Ukrainian citizen who had been residing in Poland but is now in hiding. The Swedish newspaper Expressen, part of the media group that first reported the story, named him as Volodymyr Zhuravlov, 44, who is accused of "anti-constitutional sabotage and causing an explosion."
A spokesperson for the German prosecutor's office declined to provide further details.
If confirmed, this would mark the first significant development in the ongoing investigation into the September 26, 2022 explosions that destroyed the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines. The blasts, near Denmark's Baltic Sea island of Bornholm, resulted in four leaks and have puzzled investigators trying to determine the responsible party for this major act of sabotage in recent European history.
Nord Stream 1 had been the primary route for Russian natural gas to Germany, while Nord Stream 2 had been completed but was not yet operational at the time of the explosions, coinciding with increased political tensions between Berlin and Moscow following the onset of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.
Read more: Zelensky to present ceasefire plan to G7, US amid losses in Kursk
