Russian President Vladimir Putin has questioned the sovereignty of Germany in relation to the North Sea pipeline explosions that took place last year.
What Happened: Putin told Russian television that European leaders have been domineered upon and have lost their sense of sovereignty, reported Reuters.
“The matter is that European politicians have said themselves publicly that after World War Two, Germany was never a fully sovereign state,” said Putin, according to Reuters, which quoted Russian state television.
Putin said the Nord Stream blasts were undertaken at a “state level” and dismissed the notion that an “autonomous pro-Ukraine group was responsible, according to the report.
Countries in the west, including Germany, have reacted cautiously to the Nord Stream gas pipeline blasts, noted Reuters.
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Why It Matters: Putin said that while the Soviet Union had at one point withdrawn its forces from Germany and ended a de-facto occupation, it was not reciprocated by Americans, reported Reuters.
“They continue to occupy Germany,” said Putin in the interview.
It was reported last week that the blasts were carried out by a pro-Ukrainian group opposed to Putin, according to U.S. intelligence.
U.S. officials said that there was no evidence that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy or his top aides were involved.
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