Ukrainians not behind Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, says Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday rejected as "ridiculous" new suggestions of Ukrainian involvement in the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline blasts last September.

"Ukrainians definitely did not do this," Zelensky said during a joint press conference with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin in Kiev. "This is ridiculous."

The aim of recent publications in Western media about the alleged involvement of a pro-Ukrainian group was to slow down Western aid to Ukraine in the fight against Russia, according to Zelensky.

"I find it very dangerous that some independent media, for whom I have always had great respect, are making such moves," he said. This, he added, only plays into the hands of Russia or certain business groups that oppose the imposition of sanctions.

Explosions occurred on September 26 on three of the four strands of the two Nord Stream pipelines that connect Russia and Germany through the Baltic Sea. Germany, Sweden and Denmark launched investigations into the incidents but the perpetrators have not been identified.

On Monday, media in Germany, the U.S. and Britain published clues to the possible course of events. According to the reports, a group of six people with forged passports rented a yacht and planted the explosives unnoticed in a depth of 80 metres.

Moscow has claimed, without providing evidence, that the West was behind the blasts.

Russian state gas company Gazprom, which built Nord Stream 1 and 2 to pump 110 billion cubic metres of gas a year to Germany, says it is technically possible to repair the ruptured lines. However, this would presume an end to the war in Ukraine and a significant recovery of Russia's relations with the West.