• Thursday, 15 August 2024

Germany says Kiev support is independent of Nord Stream pipeline case

Germany says Kiev support is independent of Nord Stream pipeline case

Berlin, 14 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Germany on Wednesday said its support for Ukraine would remain steadfast, whatever the results of investigations into the sabotage attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022.

Deputy government spokesman Wolfgang Büchner told journalists in Berlin that the investigations - which saw Poland receive a European arrest warrant for a Ukrainian national on Wednesday - would not change "the fact that Russia is waging an illegal war of aggression against Ukraine."

"The investigations are being conducted according to the law, regardless of the person and completely independently," Büchner said.

The probe is a "top priority," he added.

The suspect in the case is Volodymyr Z, a Ukrainian citizen who was last known to be in Poland after entering the country from Ukraine in July, Polish authorities said.

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were damaged by several explosions on September 26, 2022. The explosions were registered near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, and four leaks were discovered shortly afterwards in three of the four pipelines.

Speculation about what caused the incident and who was responsible has swirled for nearly two years.

Photo: archive