Russia Accuses US of Nord Stream Control Bid in Energy Row

Russian officials accused the United States on Friday of pursuing control over the damaged Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea as part of a strategy to dominate global energy markets, amid stalled negotiations over economic cooperation tied to the Ukraine conflict.

The remarks came from Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who linked U.S. interest in the infrastructure to broader efforts to influence energy supplies worldwide. The Nord Stream pipelines, owned by Russian state company Gazprom, were rendered inoperable by explosions in September 2022, an incident both Russia and Western governments have described as sabotage. The blasts largely ended Russian gas flows to Europe through the lines, exacerbating energy shortages on the continent after Moscow had already curtailed deliveries due to geopolitical tensions.

Speaking to France Televisions, Lavrov stated that Washington had effectively seized control of major oil reserves in Venezuela and was applying similar pressure in Iran. "The United States is also now saying that it wants to take over the Nord Stream pipelines," he said, according to a transcript released by Russia's Foreign...