More information is needed before it is possible to say who is behind the incident, the US Secretary of Defense has said
It is too early to speculate on who is responsible for the gas leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Friday, adding that a full investigation of the matter must be carried out.
At a press conference in Hawaii, the Pentagon chief refused to blame anyone for the incident involving the Russian gas pipelines.
“As far as the attack — or the damage to the pipeline, I think at this point there’s a lot of speculation,” and until a full investigation is done, no one will be able to say for sure what happened, he said.
Austin noted that he discussed the leaks with his Danish counterpart, given that the incident took place near the island of Bornholm, Denmark, and added that it will take the Danes several days to “get the right team in to look at the sites and really try to determine … what happened.”
“Until we receive additional information, or can do additional analysis, we will not speculate on who may have been responsible,” he reiterated, signaling that the United States has offered to provide assistance.
On Monday, Denmark reported leaks from the pipelines connecting Germany and Russia under the Baltic Sea, after the operator reported a loss of pressure on both Nord Stream 1 and 2. The Danish and Swedish authorities later said there had been a series of underwater leaks. explosions near Bornholm. A total of four gas leaks have been discovered in the Nord Stream system.
Some Western officials have said the incident may have been caused by sabotage, a statement echoed largely by Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov, who described the leaks as a likely “terrorist act” that would likely not have been possible “without the involvement of any state force.” “
Officials from both sides have reserved themselves about who is to blame for the incident.
Germany is reportedly investigating the leaks as an attack, carried out either by pro-Ukraine forces or Russia itself in a potential false flag operation to make Kyiv look bad.
On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed accusations that Russia was behind the incident. She noted that this summer NATO was engaged in military activities near the site where the leaks were found, adding that it could have been an interesting “opportunity” for the bloc.
Zakharova also called on Washington to provide an explanation and “confess” the truth, saying the US had left that job to former Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who previously “thanked” the US for destroying the pipeline.
(RT.com)