Fox News host Jesse Watters suggested the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline could suffer the same fate as the Nord Stream pipelines.
Fox News’ Jesse Watters has floated the idea that “someone” might sabotage Russia’s planned gas pipeline to China, potentially disrupting energy cooperation between the two nations.
On Thursday’s broadcast, Watters pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin, having “lost his customers in Europe” due to the Ukraine conflict and subsequent Western sanctions, is now focusing on Asia, with the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline being crucial to this strategy.
“Putin’s putting down a big old pipeline to China. It’s supposed to be finished next decade and supply 15% of China’s energy. Russia and China are growing closer. Someone might have to bomb that pipeline like Nord Stream,” Watters told viewers, without specifying who might want to sabotage the project.
Earlier this week, Russia announced the signing of a memorandum with Beijing for the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, which aims to deliver up to 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually to China through Mongolia. The project is slated to begin operations in 2033.
Putin stated that the project “is not charity” but a mutually beneficial agreement with market-based gas prices. While Russian officials suggested that gas prices for China would be lower than those for the EU due to logistical advantages, they refuted the idea that Russia was exclusively pivoting to the East, emphasizing their openness to cooperation with all interested parties.
The Nord Stream pipelines experienced significant damage from underwater explosions in the Baltic Sea in September 2022, widely suspected as an act of sabotage. Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has alleged that US intelligence services, under the Biden administration, orchestrated the attack, a claim supported by Russian officials.
While the US has denied involvement, President Biden warned before the Ukraine conflict’s escalation that “if Russia invades… there will be no longer Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.”
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