Oil, gas and mining

FACT CHECK: Biden Did Not Threaten to Sabotage Nord Stream Pipelines as Russian Disinfo Claims



Suspected sabotage on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines from Russia to Europe has sparked an environmental disaster and finger-pointing.

Though no one knows for certain how the pipelines were ruptured, spilling methane into the North Sea, many pointed to Russia, which has benefited from spiking natural gas prices, as well as the fear factor while escalating its war on Ukraine.

For its part, Russia cast suspicion on the United States.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed at U.S. President Joe Biden, citing a statement he made on February 7.

On Telegram, Zakharova wrote:

“U.S. President Joe Biden must answer whether the United States acted on its threat on September 25 and 26, 2022, when an incident occurred on three branches of Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, preliminarily qualified as pipeline ruptures, possibly as a result of explosions.”

Problem is, that puts Biden’s words, spoken at a news conference before Russia attacked Ukraine, in a false context.

The European Commission blamed the pipeline ruptures on sabotage based on seismic readings that suggested explosions. Danish and Swedish prime ministers cited “deliberate action.”

https://www.polygraph.info/a/fact-check-biden-did-not-threaten-to-sabotage-nord-stream-pipelines-as-russian-disinfo-claims/6770228.html

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32 Comments

  2. C C

    VIVA President Zelenskyy he is a HERO!!!
    Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦..
    Glory to the BRAVE HEROES 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦.
    Ukraine will win this war!!!

  6. Jimmie Jackson

    Im an American and even I don’t believe this …. President Biden should have watched his words better because now Allies are looking at us sideways

    This is a fucking mess and that old man is only going to make things worse

  8. J Loftus

    Biden: "If Russia invades…then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it." Reporter: "But how will you do that, exactly, since…the project is in Germany's control?" Biden: "I promise you, we will be able to do that."

  12. Some One

    US Ship left 3 days before the Explosion, Biden DID threaten to "END IT" and russia has nothing to gain from it… US is the big winner.. but nah.. they didnt do it.. try brainwashing some other idiot. Also good luck with that.😂👉🏻

  15. dontchastop

    He said he would end it. Since the US doesn't own any of this infrastructure, and he can't force the Russians not to pump gas, it would mean he has another way of ended it. Nice try, VOA.

  29. TheEmmef

    You call this a FACT CHECK? Nobody in the public knows who sabotaged the pipelines. But we know for a fact your reasoning sucks or you are dishonest.
    First you say Maria Zakharova mislead by omitting context. The context in question was "that the first question was whether Germany would pull the plug if Russia invaded." to which Biden answered "There would be no more Nordstream 2 if Russia invaded." Then you state that he did not mean to blow it up. However, this does not follow logically from the extra context (the first question) and Biden's response. We have to believe your claim what Biden meant without additional reasoning or facts ("appealing to authority", a logical fallacy). In addition, and as a consequence, you do not prove your own point, that omitting this particular context makes the statements by Zakharova misleading. Note that I do not say that Zakharova did not mislead, I have no idea, however, she did not mislead in the way that you tell us she did. Therefore, it is your statement that is misleading!
    Second, if Maria Zakharova mislead by omitting context, you also did! That context is the question from a journalist how Biden would do that, because Germany is in control of the project. There he ascertains that "we will be able to do that". Only if your first conclusion holds AND Germany decides to pull the plug, one MIGHT conclude that he means Germany will be convinced to pull the plug on the project. But your first conclusion is weak and his answer does not prove much either way. The tone and body language tell something different, however, that is not a strong argument and falls in to the category of listening to someone's public speeches to guess intentions.
    So we are back at the start: Nobody in the public knows who sabotaged the pipelines.
    You are clearly cherry picking and applying logical fallacies to convince your listeners of something that you cannot support by fact or reasoning. You either are way out of your league for "Comprehensive coverage and telling the truth," or you are selling propaganda. Take your pick.

    [edit: clarified and removed empty lines]

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