US Navy asserts it has 'no involvement' in Nord Stream pipelines explosions

US Navy on Sunday refuted claims about its alleged involvement in the Nord Stream pipelines blast after reports emerged that its P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance flight was seen near the site of the sabotage in the Baltic Sea. The flight "was not related to the leaks," US Navy Captain Tamara Lawrence, US Naval Forces Europe-Africa spokesperson, told Russian state-affiliated agency Tass. Russia's Foreign Ministry had demanded that an official UN Security Council Meeting must be convened regarding the incident alleging that evidence shows Washington's role in the sabotage of the main gas pipelines that run under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Europe. 

Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had brazenly asked whether the President of the United States, Joe Biden, was behind the destruction of the pipeline infrastructure. "US President Joe Biden must answer whether the United States acted on its threat on September 25 and 26," said Zakharova, referencing his statement made to a reporter that if Russia invades Ukraine "there would be no more Nord Stream pipeline. We will bring an end to it. "

'US Navy had no involvement': US Navy Captain

Responding to the allegations, US Navy Captain Tamara Lawrence, on Sunday said that the US Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft that was shown in the tracking data "conducted a routine Baltic Sea maritime reconnaissance flight." She further clarified that the aircraft had nothing to do with the pipelines and that the flight was unrelated to the leaks. "US Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft often operate from allied and partner nation airbases in the US Sixth Fleet area of operations in order to increase proficiency and combined interoperability," she said.

"The US Navy had no involvement with the leaks from the Nord Stream pipelines," Lawrence clarified. 

Western military Alliance NATO had also earlier announced that it was carefully monitoring the Baltic Sea after the mysterious explosions in Nord Stream pipelines that transported gas to Germany from Russia. "NATO is monitoring the situation in the Baltic Sea closely," the NATO official told Newsweek magazine. "Allies are looking into the gas leaks and exchanging information, also with Finland and Sweden," the said official added, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Last week, the operator of the damaged Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, Nord Stream AG, claimed that it was unable to inspect the damaged sections of the gas pipeline due to the lack of necessary permits. The Switzerland-based firm said that it wouldn't be possible to establish for certain whether the key pipeline to Europe that runs under the Baltic Sea was sabotaged, as claimed by EU member nations, that may have triggered massive leaks. Nord Stream AG stated that it has not been issued the permits, and hence, is unable to start surveying the incident.