The pipelines still contained gas though they were not operational. (File)
Moscow:
The Kremlin said Thursday that a foreign state was likely responsible for an incident that resulted in the leaks at the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines linking Russia to Europe.
“It’s very difficult to imagine that such a terrorist act could happen without the involvement of a state,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in his daily press briefing.
After explosions were reported earlier this week in suspected sabotage, a fourth leak was detected in the undersea gas pipelines linking Russia to Europe on Thursday.
“This is an extremely dangerous situation that requires urgent investigation,” Mr Peskov said.
On Wednesday, Russia launched an “international terrorism” probe.
Mr Peskov said such an investigation “required the cooperation of several countries” but denounced an “acute shortage of communications and unwillingness of many countries to contact” Russia.
Moscow said Wednesday US President Joe Biden was “obliged” to answer if Washington is behind the leaks.
Moscow and Washington both denied involvement in the incident.
The UN Security Council will meet on Friday to discuss the leaks.
The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines have been shrouded in political tensions since the Kremlin sent troops to Ukraine.
Russia cut gas supplies to Europe in suspected retaliation against Western sanctions, but the pipelines still contained gas though they were not operational.
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