Trump scoffs at notion that Russia blew up Nord Stream

WASHINGTON — Former US President Donald Trump has scoffed at the notion that Russia may have been behind explosions at Nord Stream pipelines in Europe last year, suggesting his own country could be to blame.

In an interview with Fox News' Tucker Carlson on Tuesday, which will air in full later this week, Trump was asked, "Who blew up the Nord Stream pipeline?" to which he replied that he didn't think his country was in trouble wanted to bring and emphasized that "it was not Russia".

"I don't want to get our country in trouble, so I won't respond to that. But I can tell you who it wasn't was Russia. When they blamed Russia, they said, "Russia blew up its own pipeline." They enjoyed it too. It wasn't Russia," Trump said.

While the US and other Western governments have so far revealed few details about the ongoing investigation into the sabotage, a detailed report by US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh released in February said US President Joe Biden personally ordered the bombing to destroy Germany to bolster support for Ukraine amid its war with Russia.

The underwater pipeline was hit by multiple explosions under mysterious circumstances last September. Some reports, noting how pleased American officials are following developments, said the US was the main beneficiary of the sabotage as it could sell its own gas to Europe at higher prices.

Washington, meanwhile, dismissed Hersh's report, which relied on anonymous sources, and insisted he had no role in the pipelines' detonation.

Ukrainian officials have also denied any involvement in the Nord Stream sabotage, and later reports in the New York Times claimed that an unnamed "pro-Ukrainian group" was behind the attack.

But observers insist it is highly unlikely the group could have carried out the bombing from a small yacht, as the operation would have required military-grade explosives and experienced divers, among other things, as reported by the US-based daily.

Hersh has also dismissed the Times report as part of a "cover-up" orchestrated by US intelligence agencies, as the mainstream newspaper has largely cited unidentified "Intelligence officials" to support its story.