NATO chief, German chancellor discuss Nord Stream pipeline sabotage

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) – In a Friday phone call, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed the recent sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline.

Secretary-General Stoltenberg said on Twitter he had a “good call’ with Scholz in which they “discussed the Nord Stream sabotage.”

“We support ongoing investigations and enhanced NATO vigilance,” he said.

The leaders also spoke about the war in Ukraine.

Stoltenberg commended Germany for its “continued support” to the country “in these critical times.”

In a statement released on Thursday, NATO’s highest decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, vowed a “united and determined” response to any deliberate attack on its critical infrastructure.

NATO is “committed to preparing for, deterring and defending against the coercive use of energy and other hybrid tactics by state and non-state actors,” it added.

According to Danish and Swedish authorities, the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines have suffered a total of four leaks due to undersea explosions.

The Russia-owned Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which runs from Russia under the Baltic Sea to Germany, was originally created to double the volume of gas transported directly to Germany.

But just as work on the pipeline was completed, Germany decided to cancel it after the start of Russia's war on Ukraine.

The Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which stretches 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) under the Baltic Sea from the Russian coast near St. Petersburg to northeastern Germany, was stopped by Russia following Germany's decision to halt the certification of Nord Stream 2.​​​​​​​