Peskov called Denmark’s invitation to Nord Stream 2 AG positive news

Denmark’s invitation to the operator Nord Stream 2 AG to extract the “object” discovered at Nord Stream 2 is still positive news, but we need to see “what will be behind this,” said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. He called it critical to determine what the “object” is.

Formerly Danish Energy Agency (DEA) invited operating company Nord Stream 2 AG to take part in the operation to recover an object discovered near Nord Stream 2 in the Baltic Sea. The press service of the agency clarified that the object will not be removed while the DEA is waiting for a response from Nord Stream 2 AG. The agency clarified that we are talking about an object 40 cm long and 10 cm in diameter – the agency does not exclude that it could be a marine smoke buoy.

“Let’s see what happens next. So far, of course, probably, it is still positive news when the owner of the pipe is invited to take very important actions in the framework of the investigation, because the actually discovered object is located next to the pipe seam. The seam, as you know, is the most vulnerable section of the pipeline. And the explosion itself also occurred at the junction, at the seam. Therefore, it is very important, critically important, within the framework of the investigation, to determine what kind of object it is, whether it is related to a terrorist act – and apparently it is – and to continue the investigation, ”Peskov said.

The spokesman said that this investigation should be “transparent, transparent, inclusive in terms of the participation of all interested parties there.”

The explosion at Nord Stream occurred on the night of September 26, 2022. Pressure dropped in both pipelines. Two subsequently discovered leaks were in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Sweden, and two more were in the Danish EEZ. Initially, Germany, Sweden and Denmark agreed to conduct a joint investigation, but this idea was later abandoned. In October 2022, Sweden announced the completion of the investigation, stating “increasing suspicions of gross sabotage”, but those responsible for what happened were not named. Moreover, Sweden refused hand over to Russia the results of the investigation.

On March 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Russian side offered the Danish authorities to form an international group of experts and conduct a survey of the Nord Stream lines, but received an ambiguous answer. 16 March Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen informedthat Copenhagen will not give Moscow permission to participate in the Nord Stream investigation. According to him, the investigations of Denmark, Sweden and Germany can be trusted, because in these countries “the rule of law reigns.”