Russia Denies Involvement in Nord Stream Gas Leaks

On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it "stupid and absurd" to allege that Russia was involved in leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines.

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"Is this in our interests? No, we will lose gas supply routes to Europe. Is it in Europe's interests? No, it is also in a very difficult situation," he said. 

Dialogue and prompt cooperation of all parties are needed to find out what happened as soon as possible, he said, adding that Russian gas giant Gazprom, the owner of the pipelines, should participate in the investigation.

The European Union's (EU) chief diplomat Josep Borrell on Wednesday said the leaks were most probably the result of sabotage.

In a statement on behalf of the EU's 27 member states, Borrell said the European Union will support any investigation aimed at getting full clarity on what happened and why, and will take further steps to increase the bloc's resilience in energy security.

Several leaks have been detected earlier this week on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea near Denmark and Sweden, an incident reportedly being investigated as probable sabotage.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will meet on Friday at the request of Russia to discuss the Nord Stream leaks. Although the Kremlin expected the meeting to take place on Thursday, France - which holds the UNSC Presidency this month - called it for Friday.