WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that it would be “in no-one’s interest” if attacks or acts of sabotage caused gas leaks detected in the Nord Stream gas pipelines amid an energy standoff between Europe and Russia over gas supplies.
Both Moscow and Western European capitals have expressed concern over the multiple leaks spewing gas into the sea, which occurred as Russia has slashed gas deliveries to Europe after the West imposed sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
“There are initial reports indicating that this may be the result of an attack or some kind of sabotage, but these are initial reports and we haven’t confirmed that yet,” Blinken said at a press conference alongside India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. “But if it is confirmed, that’s clearly in no one’s interest.”
The White House said the United States was ready to provide support to European partners conducting an investigation.
Blinken added that his understanding was leaks would not have a significant impact on Europe’s energy resilience, and reiterated that Washington was working to address energy security for Europe in the short- and long-term.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Kanishka Singh and Simon Lewis; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
