As if nothing had happened. A few hours later, the New York Times would argue that a pro-Kiev group was responsible for the latest sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines. NATO Defense Ministers held a working meeting in Stockholm on Wednesday, joined by their Ukrainian counterparts, including Oleksii Reznikov. In speaking with the press, Reznikov categorically denied any Ukrainian involvement in the attacks. Political leaders and officials from NATO, the European Union, Germany, and Sweden—nations most affected by the incident—urged restraint and called for patience as investigations continued to produce more concrete results. Citation: New York Times.
“This story feels unsettled to me,” noted one observer. “There is no official inquiry here yet, and full details will be explained later.” When Reznikov arrived at the Stockholm gathering, he spoke with confidence in front of reporters, stating that Ukraine was not responsible and that those spreading such claims were mistaken. He echoed denials previously voiced by other Ukrainian leaders while the press highlighted comments from sources in the United States who said investigations were ongoing. Citation: U.S. intelligence reporting.
Colleagues within the Atlantic Alliance and the EU refrained from guessing about the explosions’ origin and nearly unanimously urged waiting for the investigations to conclude. The summit’s host, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Johnson, responded to questions with a simple “no comment,” underscoring that Sweden had launched its own inquiry which had not yet yielded decisive data. He also clarified that discussions among NATO ministers focused on how to sustain aid to Ukraine and did not address other issues. This stance reflected what had been reported the previous day by the New York Times. Citation: Stockholm briefing.
protect the infrastructure
Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius urged protective steps for critical infrastructure at sea, calling for coordinated action with NATO and Baltic states following the attacks. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated that the responsible party had not been identified and urged no speculation until investigations and preparations were complete, a position echoed by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, who said, “No clear evidence is available, and I cannot comment further.” Citation: official summaries.
Emerging German inquiries have begun to surface. The Karlsruhe public prosecutor’s office, handling the most sensitive cases, reported that between January 18 and 20 a search was conducted on a vessel suspected of carrying explosives. Reports from German outlets and public broadcasters indicated the ship left Rostock on September 6 with six people aboard, including divers and a doctor, and returned without having been cleaned. Investigators found traces of explosives on board, though the link to Ukrainian involvement remained unconfirmed. The coverage by Death Zeit and the TV networks ZDF and BACK suggested that the ship was chartered by a Poland-based company associated with Ukrainian entities, but investigators stressed that no definitive suspects had been identified yet. Citation: Karlsruhe prosecutor, media reports.
Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Kremlin called for an impartial inquiry, rejecting the notion that Ukraine or allied groups carried out the sabotage. Moscow labeled such claims a media conspiracy aimed at diverting attention from the true perpetrators, whom it described as Anglo-Saxon interests. These conflicting narratives illustrate the high-stakes tension surrounding the investigation and the broader geopolitical stakes involved. Citation: Moscow briefing.