Swedish Foreign Minister Says Responsible for Explosions at Nord Stream Remain Unknown

BERLIN (Sputnik) - The Swedish government currently does not know who is responsible for the explosions at the Nord Stream pipelines, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said on Thursday.

Suspected explosions occurred on September 26 at three of the four strings of Nord Stream 1 and 2 underwater pipelines built to carry a combined annual 110 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to Europe. The bombing halted gas deliveries to Europe ahead of the cold season, prompting a gas price hike and a scramble for alternative sources in the European Union.

The Swedish government does not rule out any scenarios, but does not want to speculate about who is responsible for the explosions, Billstrom said at a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Berlin.

At the moment, the prosecutor's office and the intelligence service proceed from the fact that it was a sabotage, the minister added.

On September 26, a rapid gas pressure drop and fuel leakage were detected along the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, the main routes to supply Russian gas to Europe. Initial investigations by Swedish and Danish authorities pointed toward likely sabotage, leading to the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office to investigate the incident as an act of international terrorism.

According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the investigation of terrorist attacks can only be considered reliable and objective if Moscow takes part in the probe.