Russia and West clash at UN over probe of Nord Stream sabotage
- Russia wants an independent inquiry into the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions last September
- Moscow denies being behind the incident and has suggested the United States carried out the attack
Russia clashed with the United States and other Western nations over the Kremlin’s call for a UN investigation of last September’s sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines from Russia to western Europe.
Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the UN Security Council that Moscow has “no trust” in the separate investigations being carried out by Denmark, Sweden and Germany, but it does “fully trust” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to establish an independent international investigation of the explosions.
The United States, United Kingdom, France and others said authorities from the three countries are still investigating the pipeline attacks and the real reason Russia raised Nord Stream 1 and 2 now was to divert attention from the first anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine and high-level UN activities for the next three days including adoption of a General Assembly resolution condemning Moscow’s action.
“Today’s meeting is a blatant attempt to distract from this,” US Minister-Counsellor John Kelley told the council on Tuesday. “As the world unites this week to call for a just and secure peace in Ukraine consistent with the UN Charter, Russia desperately wants to change the subject.”
Ahead of the meeting, the ambassadors of Denmark, Sweden and Germany sent a letter to council members saying their investigations have established the pipelines were extensively damaged “by powerful explosions due to sabotage”.
The letter, circulated Tuesday morning, said further investigations are being conducted in all three countries and that it’s unclear when they will finish. It says Russian authorities have been informed about the investigations.