Putin blames Nord Stream blasts for disruption of Russia-Germany relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev at the "Russia" forum and exhibition celebrating the country's major achievements in Moscow, Russia, December 4, 2023. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Pool via REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that cooperation between Moscow and Berlin had been disrupted by blasts in September 2022 affecting Nord Stream pipelines that had pumped Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea.

Putin made his comment while accepting the credentials of more than 20 new foreign ambassadors to Russia, including those of Germany and Britain, at a ceremony in the Kremlin.