LIVE UPDATES: Pentagon Says Won't Get Ahead of Nord Stream Probe After Reports US Jets Circled Site

The United States will not speculate or get ahead of an investigation by European partners of the apparent sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, a Pentagon spokesperson told Sputnik on Thursday in response to reports that US aircraft circled the site of the incident throughout September.

Data from Flightradar24 analyzed by Sputnik showed that US military helicopters earlier this month, prior to the incident, regularly circled for hours around the area where the gas leaks occurred on the Nord Stream pipelines near Bornholm Island.

"We are not going to speculate or get ahead of European efforts to investigate the cause," the spokesperson said. "We stand ready to support European efforts to mitigate potential environmental impact."

"Nord Stream AG intends to start assessing the damage to the pipeline as soon as it receives necessary official permits. Access to the area of incidents may be allowed only after the pressure in the gas pipeline has stabilised and the gas leakage has stopped. Until the completion of the damage assessment, it is not possible to predict the timeframe for restoration of the gas transmission infrastructure," the company said in a statement.

At the same time, Nord Stream AG noted that it is impossible to make any forecasts regarding the pipeline's future operation until estimating the damage. Such an assessment is possible once the company is able to reach the incident area.

There are a lot of NATO military infrastructure facilities in the region, in general, the diplomat added.

Denmark and Sweden are currently investigating the circumstances of the explosions at Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines under the Baltic Sea.

EU energy ministers will discuss the gas leak incident at the damaged Nord Stream pipelines at an extraordinary meeting on September 30, a source told reporters on Thursday. The source expressed the hope that the ministers will agree on the resolution of the issue tomorrow.