MOSCOW, September 29./TASS/. Washington should acknowledge its role in the Nord Stream gas pipeline leaks, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a briefing on Thursday.

"In any case, the United States should explain itself and confess after all. And what’s going here? Why are they delegating this to [former Polish Foreign Minister] Mr. [Radoslaw] Sikorski, who, as a MEP, thanked the United States for the incident at the Russian gas pipelines from the bottom of his heart, and we see now what kind of a heart he has," the diplomat quipped.

Earlier, the spokeswoman pointed out that US President Joe Biden had vowed to "put an end" to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline back in February 2022.

She also posted a video clip of Biden’s speech on February 7 saying that if Russia invaded Ukraine, "then there will no longer be a Nord Stream 2." According to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the US president was talking about joint efforts by the US administration and Germany aimed at scuttling the Nord Stream 2 project.

Pipeline gas ruptures

Four Nord Stream gas pipeline leaks have been uncovered, with the most recent one being pinpointed by Sweden’s coast guard.

Earlier, the Nord Stream AG company reported that three threads of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 offshore gas pipelines had suffered unprecedented damage on Monday. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow was "deeply concerned about the news" and did not rule out that the pipelines’ operation could have been disrupted by an act of sabotage. Swedish seismologists later reported that two explosions had been recorded along the Nord Stream pipelines on Monday.

The UN Security Council will discuss the situation with the pipelines at a meeting on September 30 convened at Russia’s request. The Danish Energy Agency reported that a large amount of gas had spilled into the sea. Aircraft and ships are barred from approaching the site any closer than five nautical miles.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen slammed the incidents as sabotage and warned that "any deliberate disruption is unacceptable [and] will lead to the strongest possible response."