Zacharova had previously asked US President Joe Biden to indicate whether or not Washington is at the origin of the sabotage. The spokeswoman recalled a statement by Biden dating back to early February, just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. If Moscow intervened militarily in Ukraine, Washington would “put an end” to Nord Stream 2, it said at the time.
Zakharova insists that Europe “must know the truth”. The cause of the leaks in the gas pipelines is not yet clear.
“It was quite predictable” that some would blame Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said earlier in the day. “Predictable, stupid and absurd,” he added. Peskov also said the leaks at Nord Stream 1 and 2 are “problematic” for Moscow because the Russian gas leaking out “costs a lot of money”. “The whole system is ready to pump gas, and that gas is very expensive,” he said.
Ukraine almost immediately put the blame for the sabotage on Moscow.