MOSCOW - Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said Friday that Washington is implicitly legitimizing terrorism by remaining silent on the bombing of Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines.

"They want everyone to forget the inconvenient statements made by US leaders about the importance of destroying the pipelines," Antonov said, as quoted by Russia's TASS News Agency. "They aim to shift the blame entirely onto their Ukrainian puppets, although they are fully aware that Kiev will not take a single step without a go-ahead from Washington."

Antonov noted that the refusal of US officials to comment on the high-profile topic is "quite telling," and that they are "taking a favorable position for themselves as outside observers."

"The functionaries have not lifted a finger to ensure that the truth about the events from almost two years ago comes to light," Antonov added. "America is giving carte blanche for similar crimes in the future."

Antonov's comment followed an early arrest warrant issued by Germany's federal prosecutor general for a Ukrainian suspect believed to be involved in the bombing of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea.

In September 2022, the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipelines exploded and sustained severe damage in the territorial waters of Sweden and Denmark. Prior to the explosions, Russia used the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to transport natural gas from Siberia to Germany and other European countries.