Changes

At the height of the [[Ukrainian]] crisis Macron said, "The geopolitical objective of Russia today is clearly not Ukraine, but to clarify the rules of cohabitation with NATO and the EU."<ref>https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-russia-tensions-frances-macron-flies-to-moscow-to-meet-putin-in-high-risk-diplomatic-mission-12535079</ref>

At the height of the [[Ukrainian]] crisis Macron said, "The geopolitical objective of Russia today is clearly not Ukraine, but to clarify the rules of cohabitation with NATO and the EU."<ref>https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-russia-tensions-frances-macron-flies-to-moscow-to-meet-putin-in-high-risk-diplomatic-mission-12535079</ref>

====Germany====

===Germany===

[[File:Amy Gutmann.PNG|right|230px|thumb|''Left'' Unidentified suicide bomber ''Right'' Ambassador to Germany Amy Gutmann<ref>https://www.jpost.com/jewish-world/jewish-news/u-penn-president-apologizes-for-photo</ref>]]

[[File:Big brother is back.PNG|right|300px|thumb|March 2023 issue of ''Stern'' magazine had a picture of Joe Biden and Olaf Scholz on its front page with the inscription, "Big Brother is back, but he’s watching his own back and not that of Europe."<ref>https://gpovanman.wordpress.com/2023/03/06/big-brother-is-back/</ref>]]

During the [[Donbas war]] crisis of 2022, [[German]] chancellor [[Olaf Scholz]] was forced to stand mutely at his visit to the White House while Biden “promised” that he would unilaterally shut down the [[NordStream 2]] pipeline, even though the U.S. played no role in its construction and administration.  Germany, Biden effectively said, is little more than a subject of U.S. [[colonialism|colonial]] hegemony.

During the [[Donbas war]] crisis of 2022, German chancellor [[Olaf Scholz]] was forced to stand mutely at his visit to the White House while Biden “promised” that he would unilaterally shut down the [[NordStream 2]] pipeline, even though the U.S. played no role in its construction and administration.  Germany, Biden effectively said, is little more than a subject of U.S. [[colonialism|colonial]] hegemony.

=====Terrorist attack on Nordstream pipeline=====

=====Terrorist attack on Nordstream pipeline=====

[[File:Nord Stream II Lubmin.jpg|left|300px|thumb|German protest against Russian sanctions and for opening the Nord Stream pipeline on the morning before the U.S. environmental terrorist attack on the pipeline.<ref>https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-blew-russian-gas-pipelines-nord-stream-1-2-says-former-polish-defense-minister</ref>]]{{See also|Nord Stream pipeline#Morganthau Plan 2.0}}

{{See also|Nord Stream pipeline#Morganthau Plan 2.0}}

Biden and his foreign policy team—National Security Adviser [[Jake Sullivan]], Secretary of State [[Tony Blinken]], and [[Victoria Nuland]] had been vocal and consistent in their hostility to the two pipelines, which ran side by side for 750 miles under the [[Baltic Sea]] from two different ports in northeastern Russia near the [[Estonia]]n border, passing close to the [[Danish]] island of Bornholm before ending in northern [[Germany]].

 

In 2015, ''Pipeline Technology Journal'' reported that the Swedish military discovered a remote operated vehicle (drone) rigged with explosives near the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.<ref>https://www.pipeline-journal.net/news/explosive-laden-drone-found-near-nord-stream-pipeline</ref><ref>https://youtu.be/EyKcW_OM5wo</ref>

 

Biden and his foreign policy team—National Security Adviser [[Jake Sullivan]], Secretary of State [[Tony Blinken]], and [[Victoria Nuland]] had been vocal and consistent in their hostility to the two pipelines, which ran side by side for 750 miles under the [[Baltic Sea]] from two different ports in northeastern Russia near the [[Estonia]]n border, passing close to the [[Danish]] island of Bornholm before ending in northern Germany.

<!--The direct route, which bypassed any need to transit [[Ukraine]], had been a boon for the German [[economy]], which enjoyed an abundance of cheap Russian [[natural gas]]—enough to run its factories and heat its homes while enabling German distributors to sell excess gas, at a [[profit]], throughout [[Western Europe]]. Action that could be traced to the Biden regime would violate US promises to minimize direct conflict with Russia. Secrecy was essential.

<!--The direct route, which bypassed any need to transit [[Ukraine]], had been a boon for the German [[economy]], which enjoyed an abundance of cheap Russian [[natural gas]]—enough to run its factories and heat its homes while enabling German distributors to sell excess gas, at a [[profit]], throughout [[Western Europe]]. Action that could be traced to the Biden regime would violate US promises to minimize direct conflict with Russia. Secrecy was essential.

Throughout all of this, Russian troops had been steadily and ominously building up on the borders of Ukraine, and by the end of December more than 100,000 soldiers were in position to strike from Belarus and Crimea. Alarm was growing in Washington, including an assessment from Blinken that those troop numbers could be “doubled in short order.”

Throughout all of this, Russian troops had been steadily and ominously building up on the borders of Ukraine, and by the end of December more than 100,000 soldiers were in position to strike from Belarus and Crimea. Alarm was growing in Washington, including an assessment from Blinken that those troop numbers could be “doubled in short order.”

The administration’s attention once again was focused on Nord Stream. As long as Europe remained dependent on the pipelines for cheap natural gas, Washington was afraid that countries like Germany would be reluctant to supply Ukraine with the money and weapons it needed to defeat Russia.

The administration’s attention once again was focused on Nord Stream. As long as Europe remained dependent on the pipelines for cheap natural gas, Washington was afraid that countries like Germany would be reluctant to supply Ukraine with the money and weapons it needed to defeat Russia. It was at this unsettled moment that-->

 

It was at this unsettled moment that-->Biden authorized Jake Sullivan to bring together an interagency group to come up with a plan. In December of 2021, two months before the first Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, Sullivan convened a meeting of a newly formed task force—men and women from the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]], the CIA, and the State and Treasury Departments—and asked for recommendations about how to respond to Putin’s impending invasion.

Biden authorized Jake Sullivan to bring together an interagency group to come up with a plan. In December of 2021, two months before the first Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, Sullivan convened a meeting of a newly formed task force—men and women from the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]], the CIA, and the State and Treasury Departments—and asked for recommendations about how to respond to Putin’s impending invasion.

<!--It would be the first of a series of top-secret meetings, in a secure room on a top floor of the Old Executive Office Building, adjacent to the [[White House]], that was also the home of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB). There was the usual back and forth chatter that eventually led to a crucial preliminary question: Would the recommendation forwarded by the group to Biden be reversible—such as another layer of sanctions and [[currency]] restrictions—or irreversible—that is, kinetic actions, which could not be undone?

<!--It would be the first of a series of top-secret meetings, in a secure room on a top floor of the Old Executive Office Building, adjacent to the [[White House]], that was also the home of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB). There was the usual back and forth chatter that eventually led to a crucial preliminary question: Would the recommendation forwarded by the group to Biden be reversible—such as another layer of sanctions and [[currency]] restrictions—or irreversible—that is, kinetic actions, which could not be undone?

What became clear to participants is that Sullivan intended for the group to come up with a plan for the destruction of the two [[Nord Stream]] pipelines—and that he was delivering on the desires of Biden.-->

What became clear to participants is that Sullivan intended for the group to come up with a plan for the destruction of the two [[Nord Stream]] pipelines—and that he was delivering on the desires of Biden.-->

Over the next several meetings, the participants debated options for an attack. The [[U.S. Navy|Navy]] proposed using a newly commissioned [[submarine]] to assault the pipeline directly. The [[Air Force]] discussed dropping bombs with delayed fuses that could be set off remotely. The [[CIA]] argued that whatever was done, it would have to be covert. Everyone involved understood the stakes. “This is not kiddie stuff,” according to a source directly familiar with the matter said. If the attack were traceable to the United States, “It’s an act of [[war]].”

Over the next several meetings, the participants debated options for an attack. The [[U.S. Navy|Navy]] proposed using a newly commissioned [[submarine]] to assault the pipeline directly. The [[Air Force]] discussed dropping bombs with delayed fuses that could be set off remotely. The [[CIA]] argued that whatever was done, it would have to be covert. Everyone involved understood the stakes. “This is not kiddie stuff,” according to a source directly familiar with the matter. If the attack were traceable to the United States, “It’s an act of [[war]].”

<!--At the time, the CIA was directed by [[William Burns]], a mild-mannered former ambassador to Russia who had served as deputy secretary of state in the [[Obama Administration]]. Burns quickly authorized an Agency working group whose ad hoc members included—by chance—someone who was familiar with the capabilities of the Navy’s deep-sea divers in Panama City. Over the next few weeks, members of the CIA’s working group began to craft a plan for a covert operation that would use deep-sea divers to trigger an explosion along the pipeline.

<!--At the time, the CIA was directed by [[William Burns]], a mild-mannered former ambassador to Russia who had served as deputy secretary of state in the [[Obama Administration]]. Burns quickly authorized an Agency working group whose ad hoc members included—by chance—someone who was familiar with the capabilities of the Navy’s deep-sea divers in Panama City. Over the next few weeks, members of the CIA’s working group began to craft a plan for a covert operation that would use deep-sea divers to trigger an explosion along the pipeline.

Throughout “all of this scheming,” the source said, “some working guys in the CIA and the [[State Department]] were saying, ‘Don’t do this. It’s stupid and will be a political nightmare if it comes out.’”  Nevertheless, in early 2022, the CIA working group reported back to Sullivan’s interagency group: “We have a way to blow up the pipelines.”

Throughout “all of this scheming,” the source said, “some working guys in the CIA and the [[State Department]] were saying, ‘Don’t do this. It’s stupid and will be a political nightmare if it comes out.’”  Nevertheless, in early 2022, the CIA working group reported back to Sullivan’s interagency group: “We have a way to blow up the pipelines.”

What came next was stunning. On February 7, 2022 less than three weeks before the seemingly inevitable [[Special military operation|Russian invasion of Ukraine]], Biden met in his White House office with German Chancellor [[Olaf Scholz]], who, after some wobbling, was now firmly on the American team. At the press briefing that followed, Biden defiantly said, “If Russia invades . . . there will be no longer a [[Nord Stream 2]]. We will bring an end to it.”

[[File:P8+Weapons+Release.png|right|400px|thumb|Air traffic control monitoring of P8 run on the Nordstream pipeline, early morning hours of September 26, 2022.<ref>https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/02/independent-evidence-video-confirms-key-part-sy-hershs-report-attack-nord-stream-2/</ref>]]

What came next was stunning. On February 7, 2022 less than three weeks before the seemingly inevitable [[Special military operation|Russian invasion of Ukraine]], Biden met in his White House office with German Chancellor [[Olaf Scholz]], who, after some wobbling, was now firmly on the American team. At the press briefing that followed, Biden defiantly said, “If Russia invades . . . there will be no longer a [[Nord Stream 2]]. We will bring an end to it.”<ref>https://youtu.be/vbM7-r2VaMc</ref>

Several of those involved in planning the pipeline mission were dismayed by what they viewed as indirect references to the attack.

Several of those involved in planning the pipeline mission were dismayed by what they viewed as indirect references to the attack. “It was like putting an [[atomic bomb]] on the ground in [[Tokyo]] and telling the [[Japan]]ese that we are going to detonate it.  The plan was for the options to be executed post invasion and not advertised publicly. Biden simply didn’t get it or ignored it.”

Biden’s and Nuland’s indiscretion, if that is what it was, might have frustrated some of the planners. But it also created an opportunity. According to the source, some of the senior officials of the CIA determined that blowing up the pipeline “no longer could be considered a covert option because the President just announced that we knew how to do it.”

Biden’s and Nuland’s indiscretion, if that is what it was, might have frustrated some of the planners. But it also created an opportunity. According to the source, some of the senior officials of the CIA determined that blowing up the pipeline “no longer could be considered a covert option because the President just announced that we knew how to do it.”

Back in Washington, planners knew they had to go to Norway. “They hated the Russians, and the Norwegian navy was full of superb sailors and divers who had generations of experience in highly profitable deep-sea oil and gas exploration,” the source said. They also could be trusted to keep the mission secret. (The Norwegians may have had other interests as well. The destruction of Nord Stream—if the Americans could pull it off—would allow Norway to sell vastly more of its own natural gas to Europe.)-->

Back in Washington, planners knew they had to go to Norway. “They hated the Russians, and the Norwegian navy was full of superb sailors and divers who had generations of experience in highly profitable deep-sea oil and gas exploration,” the source said. They also could be trusted to keep the mission secret. (The Norwegians may have had other interests as well. The destruction of Nord Stream—if the Americans could pull it off—would allow Norway to sell vastly more of its own natural gas to Europe.)-->

On September 26, 2022, a NATO P8 surveillance plane made a seemingly routine flight and dropped a sonar buoy. The signal spread underwater, initially to Nord Stream 2 and then on to Nord Stream 1. A few hours later, the high-powered C4 explosives were triggered and three of the four pipelines were put out of commission. Within a few minutes, pools of methane gas that remained in the shuttered pipelines could be seen spreading on the water’s surface and the world learned that something irreversible had taken place.

 

Asked at a press conference days later about the consequences of the worsening energy crisis in Western Europe, Blinken described the moment as a potentially good one:

On September 26, 2022, a NATO P8 surveillance plane made a seemingly routine flight and made a dropped over the pipelines. Three of the four pipelines were put out of commission. Within a few minutes, pools of methane gas that remained in the shuttered pipelines could be seen spreading on the water’s surface and the world learned that something irreversible had taken place.   The detachment of US Navy ships led by the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge announced the completion of work in the area of the sabotaged pipelines. US ships in the Baltic Sea and were spotted heading to the Baltic Straits into the North Sea.

:''“It’s a tremendous opportunity to once and for all remove the dependence on Russian energy and thus to take away from Vladimir Putin the weaponization of energy as a means of advancing his imperial designs. That’s very significant and that offers tremendous strategic opportunity for the years to come, but meanwhile we’re determined to do everything we possibly can to make sure the consequences of all of this are not borne by citizens in our countries or, for that matter, around the world.”''

Asked at a press conference days later about the consequences of the worsening energy crisis in Western Europe, Blinken called destruction of the pipeline a "tremendous opportunity" for the United States.<ref>https://mate.substack.com/p/in-nord-stream-attack-us-sees-a-tremendous</ref>  President Putin said while speaking at Russia Energy Week in Moscow, “Those who benefit the most from the damage caused to the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea are the ones responsible for it...Everybody understands who is behind this and who is the beneficiary...One can now force the liquefied natural gas from the United States on to European countries on a much larger scale."<ref>https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Putin-Suggests-Creation-Of-European-Gas-Hub-In-Turkey.html</ref>  ''Politico'' reported that French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told the French National Assembly, "We must not allow the conflict in Ukraine to result in American economic domination and a weakening of Europe...We cannot accept that our American partner sells its LNG at four times the price at which it sells it to its own companies."<ref>https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2022/10/frances-le-maire-warns-against-american-gas-domination-00061111</ref>

[[Victoria Nuland]] expressed satisfaction at the demise of the newest of the pipelines while testifying at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in January 2023.

[[Victoria Nuland]] expressed satisfaction at the demise of the pipelines while testifying at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in January 2023.

====Russia====

====Russia====