Ukraine’s attack on TurkStream is US plot similar to Nord Stream blast – expert

Ukraine’s drone attacks on a Russian compressor station supplying natural gas through the TurkStream pipeline to the EU via Turkiye “were prompted by the US and the EU secretariat,” Dr. Mamdouh G. Salameh, an international oil economist and global energy expert, told Sputnik.

According to Salameh, Ukraine's actions aim to undermine EU energy security for two reasons:

1. Following orders from the US, which profits by selling more gas to the EU.

2. Displaying ingratitude toward the EU, despite its financial aid and weapons support to Ukraine.

EU faces gas deficit

Salameh noted that Ukraine’s efforts to disrupt Russian gas supplies come during peak gas demand due to winter weather conditions. On January 1, Ukraine also halted the transit of Russian gas to Europe.

The EU is now scrambling to replenish its gas storages, which have fallen below average levels. With market competition intensifying, Bloomberg has warned that this could lead to a prolonged gas deficit lasting until 2026.

US emerges as the major beneficiary

The US is capitalizing on the crisis by increasing liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to Europe at prices 2–3 times higher than Russian pipeline gas, Salameh emphasizes.

“More US LNG supplies align with President-elect Trump’s objective to reduce America’s trade deficit with the EU,” he states.

Salameh also points to a broader pattern of US profiteering from European energy crises, referencing the Nord Stream sabotage. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh previously reported that US intelligence operatives were behind the attack.

The latest strike on TurkStream, Salameh argues, bears the same “inspirational hallmark” as the Nord Stream sabotage in order to sever forever the EU’s dependence on Russian piped gas," Salameh concludes.

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