Russia on Wednesday said that it should be part of the investigation into leaks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, following Sweden blocked off the area around pipelines pending a probe.
As per reports, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said that, “There should really be an investigation. Naturally, with the participation of Russia.”
Four leaks were found last week on the Nord Stream pipelines connecting Russia to Germany, increasing political tensions already skyrocketing since the Kremlin called for invasion of Ukraine in February.
On Friday, the UN Security Council called for a meeting on the issue. Vershinin said to the assembly that “the general opinion was that this was sabotage and that it should be investigated” but that “no decision had been made” on an international investigation.
Russia on last Wednesday has launched an “international terrorism” investigation.
The spokesperson of the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, said such an investigation “required the cooperation of several nations.”
He has condemned an “acute shortage of communications and unwillingness of many countries to contact” Russia.
On Monday, Sweden has blocked off the region around the pipeline leaks in the Baltic Sea while the suspected sabotage was being probed. The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin has accused the West of being behind the blasts.
Russia’s Security Council chief Nikolai Patrushev said Wednesday that “It is clear that the United States is the beneficiary, primarily economic” of the leaks.
Both Moscow and Washington have denied involvement.