JAKARTA - US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said it was too early to speculate who might be behind the leaking gas pipeline network Nord Stream.
"In terms of attack or damage to the pipeline, at this point, I think there is a lot of speculation. But frankly, until a complete investigation is carried out, no one can confirm for sure what happened", Secretary Austin said at a news conference in Hawaii.
Secretary Austin explained he discussed the incident with his Danish counterpart on Wednesday, "and he pointed out to me it would take several days before he could get the right team to look at the site and actually try to determine as best as possible what has happened."
"Until we get more information, or we can do further analysis, we will not speculate about who might be responsible", said Secretary Austin.
Earlier, Russia's intelligence chief said on Friday Moscow had material indicating the West had a role in the leakage of the Nord Stream underwater pipeline, threatening to make them permanently unused, the Russian news agency reported.
"We have material that leads to the West's footprint in the organization and the implementation of this terrorist act", Interfax news agency quoted the Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Agency (SVR) Sergey Naryshkin as saying.
Last Thursday, President Vladimir Putin said "unprecedented sabotage" of the Nord Stream gas pipeline was an "international act of terrorism."
On the same day, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Maria Zakharova said Washington was standing to benefit from the disrupted pipeline network.
VOIR éGALEMENT:
It is known whether Nord Stream 1 or 2 did not operate when cracks were found on Monday, but both contained gas. Nord Stream AG, the Nord Stream 1 pipeline operator, said it expected gas leaks to stop on Monday, but could not access the area to assess the damage.
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